Obviously, workplaces vary. My assigned workplace has hundreds of employees. I have met numerous strangers here — whom I would never, otherwise, know to contact — and engaged in casual, unplanned, conversations (generated simply because we happened to, unexpectedly, find ourselves in the same physical space). As a result, we sometimes formed bonds, gained useful information and otherwise networked in a manner helpful to us both personally and professionally, which benefitted our organization. Without those in-person encounters, no relationship would have formed that would have led to a ZOOM invite (Instant Messaging is no longer used at our Agency).

They can occur over an instant message channel though. If your instant message is tagged “available” then I know I can say, “Hey grannybunny, got a minute to chat?” in the same way that I might stop by your office on my way back from getting coffee. And you can say, “Sure. How’d the kid’s game go last night?” if you’re up for a friendly chat, or “How’s the XYZ project going?” if you want to stick to business. And then if we really get into it, one of us might say, “Mind if I phone you?” If your instant message service is tagged “Busy” I’ll know to wait until later to chat. When a remote team gets in the habit of doing that it’s just as comfortable and friendly as being in the office.

I agree that you don’t have to have “butts in seats” in order to supervise employees. However, what is missing in remote working are those “accidental” encounters that occur in elevators, copy and mail rooms, the proverbial water cooler, etc. Such unplanned meetings frequently lead to exchanges that benefit not just individual worker morale and cohesion, but also the enterprise of the business. And, those types of meetings would never occur over ZOOM.