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A study led by Jessica Methot in the School of Management and Labor Relations reveals the value of small talk
An estimated 34 million Americans, or just under a quarter of us, are still working from home as we near the one-year anniversary of the first U.S. lockdowns. It’s changed the way we do just about everything, including the time-honored, time-killing tradition of office chit-chat.
We’re no longer gathering around the copy machine to gripe about the weather, or having the great breakroom debate about which Super Bowl commercial was the funniest. If we’re making small talk at all, it’s happening through video conferencing – which isn’t quite the same as leaning on your co-worker’s file cabinet while you talk and stir your coffee.