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The importance of offtopic

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Re: The importance of offtopic

#11

Post by pm90 »

agnishom wrote: post #8
bowsamic wrote: post #5

I don’t see why my colleagues should be my friends. Then again I live in Germany and it seems to be very much not the culture to mix those two things here

They don't need to be friends, but acknowledging the inter-human relationship is often appreciated.

This. Its not really friendship (although sometimes it does turn into that too!) but a human connections. Understanding that the people that you’re working with are humans with hobbies, families and other interests makes it much more enjoyable to work with them. This is especially true for highly creative fields like Software Design. You’re also likely to create connections with people you may not work closely with (eg from Sales, from another team etc) that can lead to a better understanding of different perspectives of the company/product.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#12

Post by _w1tm »

kruffalon wrote: post #2

I got some kind of summer flu the other day. It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer. Oh, well, I don't really mind, it is one of the few times I rest and don't keep chipping away at my todo-list. It sucks too though, because I also had plans with friends and it's harder to make new plans since many of my friends are teachers and start working soon, around the 20th.

> It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer.

Despite the name you don’t get sick from cold weather but from viruses that make you sick. During cold season we stay indoors more which increases our likelihood of being exposed to other people that are sick.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#13

Post by atoav »

> You can create as many Slack channels as you want, but all that is worthless if you don’t build the culture where it’s okay to use them.

Well the problem with corporate offtopic spaces is obvious: It is (potential) surveillance. One of the essential properties of the coffee kitchen at the office is that only you and the person who was there know what you said.

People at work will occasionally like to talk about things their collegues or bosses don't need to hear. That doesn't even mean it needs to be badmouthing others. Let's say you're really into model trains, it is easier saying that in person to the one other guy who acts a bit nerdy, than to announce it online in front of potentially everybody.

I leave it to you how you think this could be fixed.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#14

Post by kruffalon »

_w1tm wrote: post #12
kruffalon wrote: post #2

I got some kind of summer flu the other day. It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer. Oh, well, I don't really mind, it is one of the few times I rest and don't keep chipping away at my todo-list. It sucks too though, because I also had plans with friends and it's harder to make new plans since many of my friends are teachers and start working soon, around the 20th.

> It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer. Despite the name you don’t get sick from cold weather but from viruses that make you sick. During cold season we stay indoors more which increases our likelihood of being exposed to other people that are sick.

Hmm, that's interesting, I thought the causality is that when you're cold your body is busy generating heat so is worse at fighting of infections.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#15

Post by kruffalon »

b112 wrote: post #9
kruffalon wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, outside everyday, summer is my season. Although I prefer not being in direct sunlight I'm still in sunlight every day. Interesting how sunlight is helpful, do you know/think it is the light in itself, vitamin D, both or something else? My mistake, which in hindsight is obvious: I spent 3 days with a person at the end of their flu :) Still worth!

Not many people know this, only myself and a few of my clan, but reflected photons are actually no longer quantumly entwined with the sun, bouncing off of normal matter de-entangles them. Thus they become robbed of their primary source of rejuvenating power! We've been working on a device to try to force re-entanglement for centuries. Once done, we will be able to get the proper nutrition fed to us by the sun at all…

Where do I order?!?!?

Re: The importance of offtopic

#16

Post by BrenBarn »

This is interesting because there can be a fine line between camaraderie and insularism. A feel-good atmosphere among workers is good, but if it doesn't include everyone, it can lead to favoritism towards those in the group relative to those outside, and that's not good. This can be especially important when people who aren't part of the org at all come into the equation (e.g., leading to the classic experience where a customer gets the feeling they're being a bother by expecting employees to help them rather than continue their private banter).

I think it's healthy to have these off-topic spaces, but also important to make sure that everyone in the org has some such space that meets their needs, and that everyone understands where the line is for when you have to put the fun aside and do what needs to be done.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#17

Post by Pavilion2095 »

bowsamic wrote: post #5

I don’t see why my colleagues should be my friends. Then again I live in Germany and it seems to be very much not the culture to mix those two things here

"Friend" has multiple definitions, including:

> someone who is not an enemy and who you can trust

Here's another:

> a person who you know well and who you like a lot

Don't you think it's beneficial to trust and like your colleagues? I personally find it helpful. Few of us do jobs of our dreams, so having friends at work is nice. You don't have to invite them to your birthday and family events to call them friends.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#18

Post by Anon4Now »

_w1tm wrote: post #12
kruffalon wrote: post #2

I got some kind of summer flu the other day. It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer. Oh, well, I don't really mind, it is one of the few times I rest and don't keep chipping away at my todo-list. It sucks too though, because I also had plans with friends and it's harder to make new plans since many of my friends are teachers and start working soon, around the 20th.

> It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer. Despite the name you don’t get sick from cold weather but from viruses that make you sick. During cold season we stay indoors more which increases our likelihood of being exposed to other people that are sick.

It's a phrase coined by Shakespeare in his play Cymbeline. As far as I know, it never had a basis in science but was a common belief.

During the Cold War, with the possibility of fighting in the USSR, the US Army conducted experiments with soldiers doing extended bivouacs outside in cold weather to see whether there was increased likelihood of sickness. They couldn't find any evidence that it did.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#19

Post by taneq »

kruffalon wrote: post #14
_w1tm wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It always catches me by surprise that you can get "a cold" in summer. Despite the name you don’t get sick from cold weather but from viruses that make you sick. During cold season we stay indoors more which increases our likelihood of being exposed to other people that are sick.

Hmm, that's interesting, I thought the causality is that when you're cold your body is busy generating heat so is worse at fighting of infections.

I think it’s more just that you’re inside a lot with other people, easing transmission.

Re: The importance of offtopic

#20

Post by 47282847 »

bowsamic wrote: post #5

I don’t see why my colleagues should be my friends. Then again I live in Germany and it seems to be very much not the culture to mix those two things here

I am German and this statement catches me by surprise. All of my friends from a lot of different fields would agree that workplace friends are a very important pillar of our lives.

I think there are many strategies to get your own needs met. Keeping friends and work separate doesn’t automatically make it unhealthy; it’s more about individual choice. My peers would not want to work in places without friendship.

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