This Health Day, ‘Work’ Out!
Looking back at the last decade or so, here’s a fact that won’t incite many heated debates: Instant Messengers have changed the game. They changed the way you communicated with the people closest to you, made friends of acquaintances and lovers of friends. Users fell in love, broke hearts, scheduled course-altering meetings, met strangers from halfway across the world, connected with distant relatives to make awkward conversation…the possibilities were — and still are — literally endless.
But more than everything else, Instant Messaging tools made our lives easier and far more efficient. At Flock, we nod our heads in agreement at that notion — we know exactly how much of a core focus driving efficiency, is for our app. Because of IM tools, today long distances have become non-existent, communication has become drastically faster, and emails are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
But there are some voids even IM’s cannot fill. Nothing can substitute the physical presence of a loved one, or the reassuring pat on the back from the boss for a job well done. You don’t ever literally roll on the floor laughing at a joke in a chat, and your last *embarrassing* moment may have made you redder in the face than any emoticon could ever convey. In today’s world, we’ve programmed ourselves to see the emoticons and avatars rather than connecting with the emotions that they represent.
Instant messengers aren’t going anywhere; but we must remember that they have a function and place in our lives. So today, on World Health Day, we at Flock want you to take a step back from from all IM’s. Bold ask? We know. Just for today, ditch convenience and uber-connectivity. Walk up to the people, give them ye ole’ friendly smile and have a conversation. Have a nice long face to face meeting in that dusty old boardroom. Go personally and hand over those reports to the boss. Take the stairs. Make every step count. Get your heart pumping again. Sweat it out! Who knows, the little exercise you get could be the impetus for far greater things.
At Flock, while we play our part in helping you communicate, we realize we can never replace the warmth of that smile from a pretty colleague in the elevator, or the happiness of a fun discussion around the watercooler. Because everyday, we’re all about connecting teams and enabling people to get work done faster every day. Today can belong to your health.
-Authored by Surya Mallik, Digital Marketeer at Flock
