What happens to workplace relationships when there’s no actual workplace?

Is working from home making us less connected to the people we work with? Are we missing out on something by never meeting our coworkers face-to-face? I’ve been thinking about this because I work from home with an international team, and some of my coworkers know me only through messages and video calls. They know what I look like from the shoulders up. They probably recognize my name popping up in the group chat. But if we ever crossed paths in an airport, would we recognize each other without our names underneath our faces? I hope so! 

It’s such a strange way of building relationships, isn’t it? You can spend hours discussing deadlines, exchanging jokes, solving problems, and celebrating someone’s good news without ever being in the same room. There’s no water cooler, no running into someone on your way to lunch, and no chance of discovering that you both have very strong opinions about the office microwave. Instead, you have Slack messages, emojis and online team meetings. I’m convinced that those connections can be just as meaningful if we want them to be. Sharing a laugh and commenting on something funny can turn your workday around when you’ve had a rough morning. That funny text your coworker sent you after the meeting can make your workday feel lighter. People who live in a different time zone become a familiar part of your everyday life. 

But I do wonder if something gets lost when we never meet face-to-face…