I just got back into the office after spending the last 4 business days working from home.  Apparently a "steam-pipe blast blew a 15-by-25-foot crater in a midtown street (7/17), spewing a geyser of near-boiling water, gluey muck and rocks 120 feet into the air and onto terrified spectators as they ran for their lives".  We're at 360 Lexington Avenue, between 40th and 41st Streets in Manhattan. 

Anyway, because of the advent of VPN and remote desktop, IM and cell phones, working from home is supposed to be "the next best thing to being there", or so it is stated.  What I have been reminded since I last worked more than 1 day in-a-row from home (back during the 9/11 aftermath), is that it is not. 

The lack of face-to-face social interaction with co-workers replaced with email and instant messenger just doesn't do it for me.  Yes, the wife, kids and dog come in and out of the office and remind me that I am not alone in the house.  But it's not the same.

And it got me to thinking about firms and projects that use remote workers, along with this mode of communication and interaction, as a defacto standard.  Where is the time when you get to know each other, understand each other's likes and dislikes, strong points and weaknesses and compliment each other?  Where is the give-and-take banter that promotes teamwork and loyalty?  It isn't there and no one can convince me otherwise.  Using IM shorthand such as brb, l8r, rofl and symbols such as :)) and ^_^ leaves me feeling :/ ( frustrated) and just doesn't cut it.  And the feeling of disconnection that borders on isolation just does not seem to me to be a great way to work.

Anyhow, the office re-opened today and even with the commute, the hole in the ground in front of the building and all the other issues with working in a bustling metropolis, I am happy to be back in the office.  IM, email and text messaging all have their places, but I'll take a good water cooler conversation with a real person face-to-face any old day.