Is Remote Work Prohibiting Innovation?

It’s clear that working from home is here to stay in some form or fashion, but how will this change the dynamics of our workplaces? The answer to that question is difficult to nail down, but Microsoft recently set out to understand at least an element of it. The tech company recently conducted a study to understand the effect of remote work on communication and collaboration. What they found wasn’t necessarily surprising. Remote employees tended to spend less time engaged with “weak ties” —that is, employees not within their typical networks. Collaboration within functional units also decreased, which has Microsoft researchers concerned. The Spontaneous Encounter Theory suggests that accidental run-ins in an office environment spark creativity and breed innovation, and there simply isn’t a great analogy for having a conversation with a co-worker in the break room when you’re working from home. Some organizations have been experimenting with virtual water cooler events, where employees are randomly assigned engagements with one another, but these have had limited success. This creativity vacuum is something that organizations are going to need to grapple with as remote employment and hybrid offices become more popular.