When my boyfriend skipped an after-event party at work because he was still jet-lagged, our previous boss but now a family friend commented how it was impolite of him to do so. But given his circumstance, understandable.
So the next opportunity came for him to make amends. Not that he was guilty about his demeanor weeks ago, but more that he has finally regained his strength and momentum to join the group.
As he told me later in the evening, you learn many things from face-to-face engagements; things you won’t naturally talk about within the office walls but are carefree to share over food outside work.
From my experience, even just being in an office setup with your colleagues give you more opportunity to learn things you won’t get in online collaboration. There’s just something about face-to-face that makes spontaneous conversations (not necessarily work-related) comforting, and everyone with ideas is free to chime in.
jessa 