The only thing I miss is taking walks with coworkers. That is where the real value was for me. Something about walking and talking that is so beneficial.
Can you do this in a virtual room? Yes. Will you achieve the same outcome? Early results (in my case) seem to indicate the answer is "no".
I want the ability to pace around the room at times. Look my collaborators in the eye. Pick up on non-verbal cues that are often impossible to see remotely. Step away as a group to share a much needed lunch break.
And when passionate people are involved, and many viewpoints are present, the ability to all argue/debate a topic vigorously - even show frustration at the right moments - and then all share a beer at the end of the day, is critical. Having that same vigorous debate on Zoom and then dropping off to our individual lives doesn't leave room for reconnecting with each other as humans - something that is critical for maintaining relationships.
Not every project requires this kind of interaction. But for things that do, the remote format just doesn't work well for everyone.
Given the ability to do so, I do wonder how much of the concerns around remote work could be resolved.
I won't say it's a perfect substitute, but not doing those things would be a disaster.
That suggests you and your team have communication issues and meeting in person is just a plaster over it. Why exactly do you need to see other team members in person?
> I have to feel bad for people who have never experienced true friendship at work
Why do you think getting friendly with people at work is appropriate? Mixing work and personal life will introduce unconscious bias and you will give different treatment to people who didn't invite you to their weeding. This is bad for business.
It seems like you just feel lonely and you use workplace to find friends. Can you see how wrong that sounds?
Did you think about finding a hobby, getting good at something other than work and meet people that way? (there is plenty of meetups for people sharing the same interests)
That's an interesting conclusion. What makes you believe that?
Would you say the same thing to a band trying to practice together...virtually/remotely? Why or why not?
> Why exactly do you need to see other team members in person?
I covered this in another comment under this thread.
> Why do you think getting friendly with people at work is appropriate? Mixing work and personal life will introduce unconscious bias and you will give different treatment to people who didn't invite you to their weeding. This is bad for business.
I see you're intentionally being snarky about my typo.
But on topic - again, I ask, what makes you believe that? There are plenty of studies and psychologists who would disagree with you. Go read some of the articles on Harvard Business Review that explore the dynamics of friendship at work, and how important / rewarding they can be.
> It seems like you just feel lonely and you use workplace to find friends. Can you see how wrong that sounds?
I'm not lonely. I'm also an introvert. But when friendships form, it's a beautiful thing.
Why do you believe this to be so "wrong"?
It's a simple matter of simplicity and practicality. I'm more likely to meet like-minded people in the workplace, and those people aren't necessarily even on my team or even in the same department.
As I mentioned in my parent comment, I do feel bad for people who have not had a chance to experience this - it seems you fall into that category.
> Did you think about finding a hobby, getting good at something other than work and meet people that way? (there is plenty of meetups for people sharing the same interests)
Of course! And I do those things, too. But my hobbies tend toward solitary activities (cycling, tinkering with electronics, coding side projects). Yeah, I meet interesting people at the local Raspberry Pi enthusiasts meetup, but rarely people I'll form close friendships with.
---
Friendship at work might not be right for you. But don't mistake that with it being "wrong" or "inappropriate" for everyone.
I'm genuinely curious (and feel free not to reveal anything you aren't comfortable sharing), but I really wonder if age/geo/length of career factor into this.
Often, the mindset you're promoting seems to come from a lack of maturity and understanding of the importance of relationships in the workplace. I'm not saying that's necessarily the case for you, personally but I'm genuinely curious to understand where you're coming from when there's so much evidence to the contrary.
As a Product Manager, working remotely 100% of the time is absolute hell. And I say this as someone who was already working from home ~70% of the time before (and I was mostly ok with that).
I also wanted to pick on a few of the categories you mentioned:
> "only incompetent managers need to see you in person"
Some of the best work I've done is when I'm able to go brainstorm in a room with my leadership. Lacking the ability to do this as we plan our next release, or the next 3 year strategy or whatnot is extremely difficult.
Having competent management means that they understand when this is valuable and when it's not.
> "your co-workers aren't your friends"
I hear this a lot, and I have to feel bad for people who have never experienced true friendship at work. At each of my jobs, I've made lifelong friends. Friends I've since vacationed with, stood up as a groomsman in a weeding for, etc. This is part of what made those jobs so rewarding.
I think the general thought is that "jobs change, so that 'friend' might not be around next week", and that's true. But in my experience, if they're true friends, changing jobs doesn't change that.
This says more about me than anything, but where else am I going to meet friends?
---
All of this to say, in addition to being tone-deaf in light of the current reality in the world, these sentiments are also suspect under normal circumstances.
These things may be true for some people at their place of employment, or for them personally, but it's hard to understand where this comes from.