2 ms·
I honestly find the lack of cross-department chitchat an actual problem. When we were in the office I would often strike up a conversation with people from ano
by donatj 4y ago
I honestly find the lack of cross-department chitchat an actual problem.
When we were in the office I would often strike up a conversation with people from another part of the company, people I had no reason to talk to. I would get an honest idea of their struggles and needs not filtered through corporate meeting grandstanding. It built connections and empathy.
I have barely spoken to anyone outside my department since work from home began, and I think that’s a problem. Sure large cross department slack channels exist, but the public performative nature of it just isn’t the same.
- adrian_b 4y agoI agree that such unplanned conversations with random colleagues can be very useful. Nevertheless, such conversations normally take just a very small fraction of the time spent in the office. While doing real creative work, I have never seen anyone who doesn't do it better when insulated from their colleagues. I have always worked in places where I wasted at least a couple of hours every day with commuting, and those are certainly not worth 10 or 20 minutes of useful daily conversations with the colleagues. In my opinion, the best would be a hybrid style of work, with 4 days at home and 1 in the office, or at most with 3 days at home and 2 in the office, to have an opportunity for unplanned discussions.
- walterbell 4y agoPlanning unplanned discussions is an unsolved problem.
- erichocean 4y agoI dunno, Pixar's headquarters are designed so there's only one central bathroom in a large indoor plaza. Apparently Steve Jobs required it, the plan being to enable "unplanned discussions" to occur.
- walterbell 4y agoKudos to Jobs' vision. Cafeterias sometimes play a similar role. And places where smokers congregate.