[wickerman]

I feel like any other tool, it largely depends on the context in which it's being used. I think that video chats are phenomenal in certain workplaces, or for certain people, and terrible in others. I've been in situations where half the team was offshore and it took a long time to build rapport because it's a lot more difficult to be casual while on calls - you want to get to the point while you're on a meeting, so you never get to chit chat with them the same way you would chit chat with the coworker you have right beside you.

But on the other side, I've also worked with people on the autism spectrum and noticed that interactions became a lot easier through video conference than in person. On my side at least, I tend to get thrown off a lot by out of place mannerisms so it was easier for me to communicate with them.

And as some other people have pointed out, there might be working environments where home working actually helps to avoid/reduce tension/intimidation/toxic relationships etc.

Edit: also worth mentioning that my husband and I met and fell in love after skyping for many years (we lived in different continents) and I'm certainly not the only one...