>> Work relations have always been transactional.
It's a function of where one works. I've had examples in my past work life where I have made wonderful friends at work and I am still meet them even after leaving the company. I am not even an extrovert types. And it's not just about making friends but being able to meet diverse set of intelligent people and having interesting conversations over lunch or a tea.
How does one make their first set of friends? school, neighbourhood where we live, college? These all social places give us opportunity to meet new people, and only those who we feel more comfortable with, become our friends.
Would we want kids to just learn from home using Zoom and not go to school? I would not, because I want them to learn social skills and make new friends.
For me, workplace is also one of such social places which provides opportunity to meet new people. But that does not mean I'm not meeting my other friends or losing touch with the family.
I don't want to extrapolate my experiences over others' and I am generally very empathetic to those who prefer to work from home and want to maintain transactional relation with people at work.
I am in the same boat as you. I like to work from the office as it feels lot more social and productive too. Brainstorming or white boarding is not the same for me when I am remote.
I have made so many good friends at work because we were meeting everyday. While I have made some good friends in remote setup too, I haven't met them outside work (working hours) ever.
However, there are people, who don't like interruptions, don't want to commute, don't want to get up early to get ready for work and I respect that. There are some valid reasons for some to work from home, it may be more productive and be able to get into the "flow" / "zone".
Future is remote, more transactional work relations and lonely. (I know, people would jump on me for saying this :)
How does one make their first set of friends? school, neighbourhood where we live, college? These all social places give us opportunity to meet new people, and only those who we feel more comfortable with, become our friends.
Would we want kids to just learn from home using Zoom and not go to school? I would not, because I want them to learn social skills and make new friends.
For me, workplace is also one of such social places which provides opportunity to meet new people. But that does not mean I'm not meeting my other friends or losing touch with the family.
I don't want to extrapolate my experiences over others' and I am generally very empathetic to those who prefer to work from home and want to maintain transactional relation with people at work.