This week I went out to lunch with a former co-worker. We've worked together at two different companies, and it was fun to catch up.
It got me thinking; one thing that is very unsatisfying about a widely distributed team is that we miss the chance to gather to celebrate our successes...and commiserate over the failures. There's no going out to the local Chinese luncheon buffet when you're 4 time zones apart. You can't run out for ice cream, or to play hookey at the local mini golf, or gather for a beer after work. My co-located teams didn't do those things very often; the rarity made the "revolt" from cubeville that much more of a bonding experience.
I don't remember anything about the dozens of 1 p.m. meetings I was in when I was located in Littleton MA. I remember keenly the day we said to heck with it, and went off to a local ice cream stand; an unsuspecting co-worker ordered a Kimball's special...and got handed a Sundae she had to hold with two hands.
How to make up for the lack of the the informal social glue?
There's lots of warnings out there about friending our co-workers and bosses on Facebook....but maybe we should do it anyway! I find Facebook fun, and a good way to get a glimpse into the lives of people I see rarely (and in some cases haven't seen for decades). It still wouldn't be the same as going out to lunch, and it doesn't encourage the confidences and sharing that comes from a face to face private chat. Still, if we we work in a virtual workspace, maybe that's where we need to do work socializing too.
Guess after this, I have no excuse not to go Friend my boss.
Beth Benoit | 25 September 2009 04:17:34 PM ET | | Comments (0)
