Reimagining Workplace Interactions

Since the pandemic hit, we’ve been relying heavily on technology to recreate a lot of the interactions that would naturally take place in the office. However, having been back in the office on alternate days for a few weeks now, it’s quite clear where these online interactions have fallen short.

1. Multi-tasking on steroids

It normally wouldn’t be socially acceptable to write an e-mail while having a face-to-face meeting, but we’re all guilty of typing away when we should be listening and participating in meetings. According to this article by NPR, some have even admitted to exercising, taking a shower (!), cooking, or watching TV while supposedly being part of a virtual brainstorm meeting. It’s no wonder that my face-to-face meetings have felt so much more productive compared to Zoom or Teams meetings – ideas and communication flow more freely when we’re all mentally and physically present. I’ve also observed that time spent in the office seems to go by way more quickly compared to time spent working from home.

2. Zoom Fatigue

Communicating through boxes on our screens means we’re missing out on a lot of non-verbal cues, requiring us to sustain concentration on a person’s voice, on top of any internet lags or audio problems. It goes back to my first point – the brain is forced to multi-task. According to National Geographic, fatigue occurs because “the brain becomes overwhelmed by unfamiliar excess stimuli while being hyper-focused on searching for non-verbal cues that it can’t find.”

3. Fewer water-cooler chats

When we schedule virtual calls, they tend to be very task-oriented. In the office, it’s easy to walk over to a colleague’s desk to start an impromptu 5-minute chat, but I wouldn’t normally schedule an informal water-cooler session, especially with someone who isn’t in my direct team. In a work-from-anywhere world, side-bar conversations don’t just happen, they have to be deliberately designed and scheduled. But great ideas can’t be scheduled, they tend to occur serendipitously. So many amazing ideas were birthed out of impromptu run-ins with colleagues in the lifts, pantry, and lobby.

4. Paying the invisibility tax

I read the term “invisibility tax” on Joanna Bloor’s blog, where she so aptly pointed out, “while we’d like to believe that promotions are 100% merit-based, you’re fooling yourself if you think familiarity isn’t a factor.” It echoes the idea that Jack and Suzy Welch wrote in a 2007 BusinessWeek Column that is still highly applicable today: “We’re not saying that the people who get promoted are stars during every “crucible” moment at the office, but at least they’re present and accounted for. And their presence says: Work is my top priority. I’m committed to this company. I want to lead. And I can.”

How can you get your work noticed by your boss’s boss, if your own manager doesn’t advocate for your own work? How can you contribute to important conversations which you don’t even know are happening because you weren’t invited? It’s easier to find out what is going on outside of your own immediate work circle in the office, as we can overhear side conversations, take part, and deliberately make ourselves seen and heard.  

How do we increase the collision co-efficient in a work-from-anywhere world?

The “collision coefficient,” a term dubbed by BCG, measures the number and timing of unplanned workplace interactions based on the configuration of a workplace. In a pre-pandemic office, that coefficient can be maximized through hot-desking, having central staircases or corridors, communal spaces, and more. But how about in a hybrid work arrangement, where people are working from anywhere?

1. Organise “on-sites”

Remember when team off-sites were a thing? No matter where people are working, employees can be deliberately brought together on designated days whether for brainstorming workshops, team bonding sessions, wellness workshops, or training. Getting people together will still be an important piece of the puzzle to ensure culture and camaraderie is not overlooked, and the office can be designed to allow for teams to reunite. It is often hard to put a hard ROI to such activities, but without them, the effects of a fragmented team affect the bottom line in more visible ways.

2. Make the office space more communal

Reddit recently announced a reimagining of their office space to support “casual and coffee shop-style seating…larger bookable resources and collaboration spaces…and creating processes, workflows, and a culture that supports employees being distributed.” This trend will probably continue to take hold as the office plays a more important role in being a hub for collaboration and innovation.

3. Beam me up, Scotty?

Back in 2018, BBC Worklife predicted that nearly half of the US workforce would be working remotely by 2020 (little did they know a pandemic would push that number much, much higher). Questioning whether existing technology could support the trend, BBC looked into two-way hologram technology to replace video calls. However, at a cost starting from $60,000, it remains to be seen whether companies would ever invest in two-way holograms to avoid some of the pitfalls of virtual meetings.

Perhaps one day, tech will fill in the gaps more tightly, but until then, having a physical place to allow for richer work interactions is the best solution to ensure we have enough ‘collisions’ to build ideas, culture, and camaraderie.

Want to read more? Check out my articles on changing employee expectations and the new workplace norms in APAC.