Political Memes

I was listening to a podcast recently where a billionaire was talking about their upbringing and values, and when the host pivoted to remote work, this is the sentiment I got that probably reflects what most "stubborn, ignorant, old, rich" people think:

From what the billionaire was saying, office space allows opportunities for workers to perceive and speak with people in the company they don't directly engage with through their work. To the billionaire, this meant that the walls between different departments and divisions could be broken down and crossed, with the hope that workers from other departments/divisions would naturally get to know each other and learn about the functions, rewards, and struggles of their respective roles. Perhaps this might lead to greater empathy, cohesion, and loyalty to the group of people composing the company. People on Lemmy call this "water cooler talk".

But the breaking down and crossing of invisible departmental or divisional boundaries doesn't just include the working class: to the billionaire, this also includes the leadership class. The idea is that office space can allow for relationships to begin, platonic ones or mentorships or otherwise, and can help suspend the idea of a separation of classes (and departments) in a corporate setting. I'd imagine that the sorts of tactics like pizza parties are also attempts at equalizing company hierarchies.

Does this actually happen in practice in real office spaces? I'd probably say it still comes down to the type of person in the office. Extroverts will push past social boundaries because they have the confidence to do so, whereas introverts uphold social boundaries because it's easier to do so and maybe not as much social confidence is there.

Can the same be achieved in remote settings? Maybe. I've seen conversations on Lemmy recently point to open call channels, akin to what you might see in Discord channels, where employees can join the channel on their own and allow opportunities for spontaneous conversation and visiting with others. I've never been with a company that does this, but I can imagine that it only takes some IT configuration to accomplish.

I think the ideas behind RTO are noble in that the aim is to remove the inherent (and perhaps false or maybe perceived) sense of hierarchy in companies, and equalize the power field so that more people feel comfortable working. I think this is achievable in WFH settings, but I still think it very much comes down to the individuals and their specific personalities in either case.