The shift to remote work, accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, has fundamentally altered the landscape of employee socialization.
For remote workers, gone are the water-cooler chats, office pop-ins and hallway run-ins that spurred so much camaraderie and ad-hoc collaboration pre-2020. Gone, too, are the daily shared breaks and lunch outings that once contributed to the development of close personal ties.
The changes that remote and hybrid work have brought about have definite implications for work relationships ranging from friendships, to mentorships, and even to potential romantic relationships.
The Importance of Friendship in the Workplace
As organizations continue to explore both the benefits and potential challenges of remote work, understanding these dynamics and implementing strategies to foster a sense of belonging and connection in a remote environment becomes crucial.
This is important not only to help employees build bonds with others—the company benefits as well.
As Gallup research has shown, having friends at work contributes to both employee engagement and job success. It is, they say, “strongly linked to business outcomes, including profitability, safety, inventory control and retention.
It pays, then, for employees to be proactive in helping employees nurture new relationships, and maintain existing ones, especially in remote or hybrid work environments.
Impact on Work Relationships
Pre-pandemic, most workers spent roughly one-third of their time Monday through Friday in the office. For many, this meant spending more time with colleagues than spouses, children, and close friends. Understandably, a variety of personal relationships developed and flourished in these traditional work settings.
Let’s consider how some of these have been impacted by the widespread shift to remote work.
Friendships at Work
The transition to remote work has significantly impacted the formation and maintenance of work friendships. In a traditional office setting, spontaneous interactions and working in close, physical proximity naturally foster camaraderie and build informal social bonds. The remote work environment lacks these organic opportunities for connection, leading to challenges in building and sustaining workplace friendships.
Clarke Duncan, Founder of OutsourcingStaff.ph, highlights this issue, observing that “without the spontaneous ‘water cooler moments,’ there’s less opportunity for informal social interaction, which often serves as the foundation for work friendships.” Duncan’s observation points to an important need for intentional efforts to create virtual opportunities for interpersonal relationships to flourish.
Romantic Relationships
The realm of romantic relationships has also seen a shift with the dramatic expansion of remote work. The office once served as a common space where many individuals met their partners. However, the move to remote work has largely removed this avenue, leading to a change in how romantic relationships are formed. Individuals now increasingly rely on external social networks or online dating platforms, altering the traditional pathways to romantic connections.
As Digiday reported, relationship expert Neil Wilkie says that: “The pool will be smaller and the opportunities for those life-changing, accidental conversations will be fewer.”
Mentorships
Mentor-mentee relationships, crucial for professional development and career progression also face unique challenges in a remote setting.
Duncan points out the difficulties in this area. “Mentor/mentee relationships can suffer due to the lack of in-person guidance and the nuances of face-to-face communication.” The lack of in-person interaction can hinder the establishment of trust and rapport, which are foundational to effective mentorship.
Virtual meetings, while useful, require more effort to achieve the same level of connection and understanding that comes more naturally through regular, in-person interactions. This highlights the need for innovative approaches to mentorship in remote work environments, ensuring that these valuable relationships continue to thrive.
Workplace Conflicts
Remote work can also influence the nature and frequency of workplace conflicts. The absence of non-verbal cues and the potential for misinterpreting written communication can lead to misunderstandings and disagreements. Stephan Baldwin, founder and HR manager of Assisted Living, a remote health marketing company, emphasizes this point: “Conflicts are a lot easier to arise with remote work, particularly because people tend to misinterpret messages when there’s no audible tone to guide their understanding.”
Baldwin’s observation reflects the challenges of remote communication, where the lack of voice intonation and physical presence can lead to misinterpretations—with the potential to escalate minor issues into significant conflicts. This underscores the importance of clear and empathetic communication in remote work settings to minimize these potential misunderstandings.
In addition, the lack of closer interpersonal relationships often makes it harder to avoid or defuse conflicts. When disagreements or misunderstandings arise in an environment of close camaraderie, and physical proximity, they’re more readily addressed.
Despite the challenges, though, there are some potential solutions for minimizing the barriers to establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships in remote settings.
Strategies for Overcoming Socialization Barriers
While many companies are making a push to get employees back into the office, workers have grown accustomed to years of remote work and are reluctant to give up the freedom and flexibility they’ve come to enjoy. This doesn’t mean all is lost when it comes to fostering meaningful workplace relationships. But it does mean employers need to be mindful and proactive in encouraging their development and maintenance.
Here are some strategies for doing just that.
- Intentional Check-Ins and Non-Work Meetings
Richard Birke, Senior Vice President at JAMS, suggests intentional strategies to maintain engagement. “Leaders should set up one-on-one meetings with their team members,” he says and should be intentional about doing so. Don’t leave these interactions to chance. He also recommends non-work meetings to replicate office social events, emphasizing their importance in a remote setting. - Use of Breakout Rooms and Acknowledging Challenges
Birke further advises using breakout rooms in virtual meetings to facilitate more intimate and less intimidating conversations, especially for more introverted employees. It’s also important, Birke says, to recognize and acknowledge the challenges of remote work. Leaders, he says, should express gratitude and recognize the hard work of their teams. - Educational Initiatives and Virtual Activities
Karen Mann, Senior Vice President of HR Research at McLean & Company, proposes educating employees on the need for connection and organizing virtual activities like book clubs or fantasy football leagues. These activities can help bridge the gap between remote and in-office employees, fostering a sense of community. - Scheduled Social Interactions and Company-Wide Events
Mann also recommends scheduling coffee chats and social events, even in a remote setting, to encourage interaction and relationship building. Organizing company-wide or team events at least once a year can also be beneficial in creating a sense of belonging among employees. - Investment in Team Building and Inclusive Leadership
To navigate conflicts effectively, Mann suggests investing in team building, two-way communication, and inclusive leadership. These measures can help create a culture where employees feel comfortable addressing conflicts and working through them constructively. - Creating Virtual Offices and Organizing In-Person Retreats
Duncan recommends creating ‘virtual offices’ to simulate a shared working environment and organizing in-person team retreats periodically. These strategies can help minimize the sense of isolation employees may be feeling while fostering stronger bonds among team members.
The shift to remote work has significantly influenced employee socialization dynamics, impacting work relationships, friendships, mentorships, and even romantic relationships.
As organizations navigate this new landscape, it’s critically important to implement strategies that foster a sense of belonging and connection among employees. By being intentional about social interactions, acknowledging the challenges of remote work, and investing in team building and leadership, employers can create a more inclusive and connected remote work environment.
Lin Grnesing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.