Why serendipitous interactions at the office make us feel productive

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For many of us, the experience of walking down the hall and running into a colleague is a distant memory, something we did before the pandemic hit. Serendipitous rcs data brazil like these weren’t the product of weeks of planning or email reminders. Instead, meeting a coworker in the kitchen or copy room to exchange ideas happens unplanned. And the inspiration and productivity boost that comes from these chance interactions is just as unplanned.

Even those of us who consider hallway encounters a distraction are feeling their absence. This can be especially harsh compared to our current remote reality, where many of us only have faceless conversations via Slack or similar apps.

As we adjust to remote work for an extended period, prioritizing casual chats and embracing random encounters can lead to inspiration and encourage us to check more off our to-do lists.

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Expert opinion
This isn't just a hypothetical idea. Anita Williams Woolley , an associate professor of organizational behavior and theory at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business, says these serendipitous interactions can lead to better problem solving, productivity and creativity.

“ These conversations happen naturally in the office, and it makes you feel like you’re slacking off, because you’re not, ” he says. “ Ultimately, they influence the quality of what is ultimately produced .”

Relationship of fortuitous interactions with productivity and creativity
Before we all started working from home, random chats and office encounters provided us with a much-needed daily break. “ We know from the psychology of productivity and problem-solving that periodic breaks are really beneficial ,” Woolley says. Spontaneous encounters helped dictate “ the cadence at which you take breaks, so if you’re working in an office environment, you need to get up and walk around more to get things done than when you’re at home .”