syed_h5's comments

This is great. You highlighted a path for how to fit into a company in our current culture.

How about all that leg work wasn't needed?

I wanna run a hypothetical scenario by you. Lets say you are a fan of the new Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon fan. There is a platform only within your company that you can see which other coworkers you connect with that are also a fan of this big show. Lets say 8 outta 10 people in your team watches the show. So, meetings become more interesting because now you can talk about this immediately.

Now add tons and tons of other topics that you might have in common with your team. Instead of waiting months and years to find out your co-worker of 2 years also loves Tennis, you can know it now, talk about it now, and socially have a better dynamic now.

What do you think of a platform that already does the legwork for you? To bring the teams closer and connect more people based on what they love.

So our intention is to not go back into the office at all. Or to hang outside of work.

looking at things that make work fun as "useless info" is a pretty bleak way to live life. I enjoy knowing that my co-worker is a soccer fan. So, after the weekend I can talk to him about the game. That doesn't mean I don't have other friends to talk soccer with. But talking to a co-worker about it makes work fun. It also builds great relationships which is always dependable in the corporate world.

"Fit into company" isn't an American thing haha. As you said, everyone changes and you are still there. So, lets say you join a new company tomorrow. Wouldn't it be great to know what similar interests you share with your new team from day 1? It makes it easier to get to know them, start work and even gives most people the confidence to ask difficult questions. Thats what fitting into a company fast looks like. It also increases productivity for the new people because they have fit in faster.

No way are we trying to get back to the office. I am a massive WFH fan. Our solution is to enhance the WFH experience. No way is it about going back to the office full time haha

Do you think you would enjoy working with your co-workers virtually more if you had shared interests to talk about? Literally stuff like soccer or a fav show, or a certain EV? It isn't about hanging outside of work. Introverts don't want that. But lets say a guy you have been working with for months-years, also like the same bands as you do. So, boom meetings are more fun and you have something more to talk about rather than the weather every time. Question is, why wait months-years to find out things you already have in common with people you talk with every day?

This isn't about not having friends, or going back to the office at all. This is about making WFH experience better.

Very interesting since you do connect with people outside your work based on some shared interests/activities.

Do you think if you found out more shared interests with your co-workers, your work day-to-day wouldn't get better? Hypothetically: Like knowing a fellow dev you have worked with for years or a new member of the team is also a big fan of a specific EV or sport like you and is watching the US Open or preordered the new F150 Lightening?

Would that not make work, feel less like work? Overall establish a more welcoming/belonging dynamic?

Yes, exactly. It feels forced because we always talk about things that nobody is interested in talking about that much.

I wanna run a hypothetical scenario by you. Lets say you are a fan of the new Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon fan. There is a platform only within your company that you can see which other coworkers you connect with that are also a fan of this big show. Lets say 8 outta 10 people in your team watches the show. So, meetings become more interesting because now you can talk about this immediately.

Now add tons and tons of other topics that you might have in common with your team. Instead of waiting months and years to find out your co-worker of 2 years also loves Tennis, you can know it now, talk about it now, and socially have a better dynamic now.

What do you think of a platform that already does the legwork for you? To bring the teams closer and connect more people based on what they love.

I don't think it is just you. That was a very thoughtful reply. I agree with everything you said. I would never want to give up WFH but had a lot closer friendships back in the day.

Do you think you would be interested in a world where WFH stays. But companies offer a way for you to connect with your co-workers based on your most passionate interests? For example if you love soccer, watching tennis, massive Star Wars fan, love taking cruises, you end up seeing your other co-workers who like the same things. So, you can start conversations based on those interests. Meetings would be more fun when you guys talk about the US Open tennis matches or what cruise was the best etc. While being WFH.

I want to know what you think about something like this.

Hypothetically, do you think it would be nice if you found out common things you shared with you co-workers right from the start? For example not going 5+ months not knowing that they support the same soccer team that you do. That is 5 months worth of convo that could have happened from the start.

It seems that you are pretty social and take extra steps to build the connections. So, wondering if it would be easier for you to not have to do the leg work and be able to get into the main things you and your co-worker can talk about for hours.