Working from home has a ton of perks, but one drawback (or extra perk, if you’re a hermit) is the lack of face to face communication. Sure, you e-mail, talk on the phone, or even use video calls- but none of this compares to having meaningful in-person relationships with coworkers. This can be problematic, especially if you are trying to network and make even more professional connections. Luckily, Kerry Schofield at co.exist has some tips for creating more significant work relationships while telecommuting:
The research of Dunbar and his colleagues indicates that virtual relationships may require more effort, patience, and TLC than in-person ones to make them work. In short, emails and text messages are simply not as satisfying to most humans as a chat over coffee.
So with all our amazing high tech options for virtual conferencing these days, what does research suggest is best–video calls, text-based approaches (such as email or IM), or a good old-fashioned phone call? Well, none of them are likely to be as satisfying or influential as an in-person meeting.
Of the virtual options, video conferencing emerged as the most effective for emotionally impactful, meaningful interactions, probably because video conferencing–unlike text or audio-only media–allows us to process non-verbal communication such as facial expression and gestures.