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It’s Harder to Dislike Your Coworkers Once You’ve Seen Inside Their Home.
If I saw a giant Nazi swastika or a photo of KKK members on your wall, it goes without saying that I would be horrified. But on the countless videoconference calls that I’ve been on in the last few weeks, I’ve mostly seen family photos, paintings, and sports memorabilia adorn the backgrounds of my colleague’s screens. I’ve virtually been inside home offices, beach condos, patios, basements, even bathrooms where exhausted parents have fled to as a refuge from needy children. I’ll admit, the nosy part of me has loved peeking inside these homes.
But what I didn’t expect was that I would like my coworkers so much more as a result of videoconferencing.
There is something quite intimate about seeing inside someone’s home. What kind of wallpaper they hung in their living room, what inspirational quote they chose to put above their desk, what could be more personal than seeing the design choices for a space that one comes home to each day.
It’s different than the personal touches you might find in an office. We tend to have a “work” persona, and the items you…