{"id":477,"date":"2021-10-25T16:37:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T16:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/?p=477"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:09:49","slug":"balance-work-communication-and-chit-chat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/balance-work-communication-and-chit-chat\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Talk at Work: Why It\u2019s Important & How to Encourage It (Especially in Remote Work Settings)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How often does your remote team engage in small talk? Are you forced to schedule casual encounters so that coworkers can get to know each other better? Or does your team chat app<\/a> ping so often that you\u2019re never able to concentrate on work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are not the problems you would encounter in an office setting. There\u2019s no doubt that remote work has changed how we chit-chat in the workplace. While some managers have had to find ways to reintroduce chit-chat in the remote environment, others haven\u2019t been able to stop employees from idling their work hours away on communication apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here, we\u2019ll discuss chit-chat at work, how it\u2019s different in remote work environments, why it\u2019s important for WFH employees, and how to balance it with work-related communication for optimal results.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What is chit-chat at work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first time someone ever talked about small talk in a formal paper (Malinowski, 1923), he dubbed it phatic communion (i.e. bonding by language), and it is indeed a way to build rapport (bond) through casual conversation (language).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chit-chat is an inevitable social element of work, and it\u2019s essential for good team communication<\/a>. It may be the only opportunity for employees to acknowledge each other as real people with lives outside of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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The anatomy of small talk at work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chit-chat and work talk can get interrelated. A book about small talk titled (you guessed it) \u201cSmall Talk<\/a>\u201d makes a rough distinction between phatic communion (i.e. small talk) and core business talk based on several criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcd6Criteria<\/strong><\/td>\ud83d\udc54Core business talk<\/strong><\/td>\ud83d\udc55Small talk<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Relevance<\/strong><\/td>Topic-bound<\/td>Atopical<\/td><\/tr>
Informativeness<\/strong><\/td>Mostly informative<\/td>Minimally informative<\/td><\/tr>
Importance of context<\/strong><\/td>Context-bound<\/td>Context-free<\/td><\/tr>
Agenda<\/strong><\/td>Transactional<\/td>Social<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The most important distinction between the two is the agenda. There\u2019s no agenda in small talk other than to communicate socially with a coworker.<\/strong> Often, we don\u2019t even learn anything from casual chit-chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great example is the question \u201cHow\u2019s it going?\u201d<\/em>, which people usually don\u2019t answer with, \u201cTerrible actually, my youngest is down with something, I\u2019m late on the mortgage payment, and my boss won\u2019t cut me any slack!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The usual response, no matter how things are actually<\/em> going, is, \u201cGreat, you?\u201d<\/em> or even a simple nod and a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because the function of this phrase is not to start a deep conversation, but rather to help coworkers connect socially while maintaining a respectful distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, office chit-chat is a lot different from small talk in a remote environment.<\/strong> Let\u2019s go through some examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of small talk in the office environment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When people work together in the same physical environment, there are plenty of opportunities for small talk. Here are some examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd38 Example 1: Water cooler talk<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As Mike gets up to fill his water cup, he bumps into Jill who\u2019s just filling hers at the water cooler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mike: \u201cQuite cold today, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jill: \u201cSure is, I already pulled out my sweaters from the back of my wardrobe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike: \u201cSmart. Seems like we won\u2019t have an Indian summer this year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jill: \u201cSure seems so.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the conversation, Jill has filled her cup and is heading back to her seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd38 Example 2: Pre-meeting catch-up<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The sales team<\/a> meeting is about to start in a few minutes. The team is assembled and waiting for the manager to start. In the meantime, Mark catches up with John who\u2019s back from vacation today and is sitting next to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mark: \u201cHey, man, looking fresh, you must\u2019ve enjoyed the trip. How was Europe?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John: \u201cIt was great! We went to Italy this time. Italians really know how to enjoy themselves, and the food is incredible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark: \u201cAwesome, man.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

At that point, the meeting starts interrupting their exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catch up with your coworkers over Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd38 Example 3: A lunch-break group chat<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There are several people in the break room on a lunch break. They\u2019re talking about the latest HBO show over lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maya: \u201cTell me you\u2019ve seen the last episode! What <\/em>was that?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick: \u201cHey, no spoilers! I promised my girlfriend we\u2019d watch it together tonight.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katey: \u201cThat was EPIC! By the way, the new character is a spitting image of John \u2014 the new accountant guy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maya: \u201cOh-em-gee, you\u2019re so right!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

James: \u201cDon\u2019t tell him, though, it\u2019s not exactly a compliment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Examples of small talk in a remote environment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remote small talk is a lot different than office chit-chat. Unlike in the office, most communication is deliberate, and there\u2019s little room for spontaneity, other than in a team chat app<\/a> because teammates can DM each other whenever they feel like chit-chatting or sharing a funny meme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some examples of chit-chat among remote employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd38Example 1: Coworkers having an informal meet-up in Google Meets during their break<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A marketing team decides to catch up and unwind during a break. They take their minds off work by chatting about the upcoming company Halloween party and what costumes they\u2019re considering for the event.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Example
Example of an informal Pumble catch-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Explore Pumble’s Video Calls<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd38Example 2: A discussion about romantic comedy movies in the #movies channel in Pumble by CAKE.com<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Leah (designer) is wondering what movie to watch over the weekend, so she decides to ask her colleagues. She doesn\u2019t want to clutter the main channel and performs a channel search to see if there\u2019s an informal #movie<\/em> channel in the team chat app. It turns out that there is such a channel, so she posts her question there and gets a prompt reply from product developer Kate.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A
A movie discussion in Pumble<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd38Example 3: A DM chit-chat between colleagues about fitness in Pumble<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Stella and Anna are two marketing specialists collaborating on a task, and Stella sends a DM to check if Anna is done with her share of the work. Anna is just about to take a break, and this leads them to chit-chat about fitness.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A
A DM chit-chat between colleagues<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How remote work has changed the practice of chit-chat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In traditional work, small talk usually happens in impromptu, face-to-face situations. Someone compliments your outfit in passing or a colleague tells you what happened to them on their commute that morning. It all happens organically, and even if you\u2019re quite introverted, you\u2019re bound to find yourself part of a friendly office chatter from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, communication in remote teams is mediated by technology. As such, it is much more deliberate, but also difficult to monitor. This often leads to one of the two extremes \u2014 there\u2019s either not enough of it or there\u2019s too much.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remote environment is cutting off many WFH employees from workplace small talk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Various research shows that lack of social interaction is the number one challenge<\/a> of remote work. It\u2019s not just about work-related talk either. People feel socially isolated from their colleagues, and the sense of loneliness is much more likely to creep up on them. In fact, one study<\/a> has found that 67% of remote-working respondents felt lonely, compared to 0% of their office-based colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another study has revealed<\/a> that it\u2019s hard to maintain social interactions via technology, as it\u2019s much more difficult to incorporate them spontaneously<\/strong>. This is especially true for remote workers who\u2019ve worked from home from the start. They didn\u2019t get a chance to build rapport with their colleagues through office chit-chat, which makes them much more disconnected and highly unlikely to reach out to a coworker for casual conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bond with your coworkers over Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re new at an office job, you can get to know your coworkers through these random bits of interaction around the office, which cannot be said for remote work. How weird would it be if a teammate you didn\u2019t know well popped into your DM with a \u201cLovely weather today, innit?\u201d<\/em> or they saw you changed your status in the team chat app to \u201cFood break\u201d and chimed in with \u201cSo what\u2019s for lunch today? I\u2019m having burritos.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why most communication in remote work often revolves around core business talk, with little to no space for casual, unstructured, and informal talk about life outside of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a flip-side: communication overload<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

However, there\u2019s also the other side of this coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all know the feeling \u2014 just as you start focusing on the task at hand, you hear a ping of your team chat app (like a crying baby demanding your attention), only to see a dog meme<\/a>… and then have to rebuild your focus all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The constant buzz of the notifications on communication apps and often on multiple devices makes our productivity time drop by 40%<\/a> amid that noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote workers tend to experience a communication overload<\/strong>, and one of the biggest challenges for remote managers is keeping the business chat app from distracting the team<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While people may be less inclined to DM individual colleagues for chit-chat (unless they\u2019ve met in a traditional office setting), they are more likely to spam various team channels. And it only takes a few chatty people to keep others checking the app constantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The important thing is to distinguish between this kind of white noise and small talk that\u2019s actually beneficial to remote workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is small talk at work important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc and everyone and their grandma transitioned to remote work, people started missing human interaction at work. The public discourse shifted from criticizing workplace small talk to mourning the loss of chit-chat at work.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The
The shift in public discourse regarding small talk at work, as exemplified by two HBR articles (pre- and post-pandemic outbreak)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The shift in public discourse regarding small talk at work, as exemplified by two HBR articles (pre- and post-pandemic outbreak)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest research indicates that office small talk is both uplifting and distracting<\/a>, but the positives outweigh the negatives, and the negatives can be kept under control. That\u2019s why this social ritual should be upheld in the remote workplace as well. Here are some of its benefits for remote employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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\n Empower team communication<\/span>\n

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Small talk boosts general well-being<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Casual interactions about anything outside of work can significantly improve remote employees\u2019 well-being. The research we referenced above has found that people\u2019s workdays are much brighter when they have at least a few minutes of unstructured chit-chat time at the beginning of their daily meetings. By building rapport with their colleagues, they feel seen and heard, and they don\u2019t feel so isolated in their home-based work setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small talk improves teamwork and collaboration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Small talk builds much stronger relationships<\/a> between colleagues, which improves teamwork and collaboration. A remote team consists of individuals sitting in their respective home offices, so something needs to pull them together across the physical distance and improve overall team cohesion. Small talk is the best way to do that. When people don\u2019t feel connected to their teammates, they are much less likely to reach out with any issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need a collaboration app? Try Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small talk improves performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chance interactions are proven<\/a> to increase performance, productivity, and innovation among knowledge workers. Spontaneous chit-chat is much less likely to happen in a remote environment, but managers should do their best to create opportunities for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small talk facilitates passive knowledge sharing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Employees don\u2019t simply follow instructions in order to complete their tasks and learn about the best ways to do so. They learn a lot of tips and tricks through passive knowledge sharing<\/a>, aka, through random encounters with coworkers. They might overhear a useful piece of info in the kitchen or learn a new method for doing something in a casual conversation with a colleague. These scenarios can be recreated in a virtual environment so that remote workers can have an equal chance at acquiring knowledge this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small talk improves task enjoyment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In remote work, task-based communication tends to be top-down \u2014 usually, the higher-up provides instructions and guidelines, and the subordinate does as instructed. However, a new study has found<\/a> that small talk improves reciprocity in task-based communication, i.e. it allows the subordinate to contribute to the conversation and feel on a more equal footing with the one in the leadership position. This kind of reciprocity, the study further indicates, improves task enjoyment immensely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to encourage small talk at work (especially in remote work settings)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Managers of remote teams often need to put in a lot of effort to make their work-from-home employees feel more connected<\/a>. Likewise, if they want the team to grow closer through chit-chat, they need to create opportunities for it to happen more often. Here\u2019s how they can do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allow time for small talk the start\/end of every meeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remote team meetings are usually highly focused on work and are heavily structured. Everyone joins in the minute the meeting is scheduled to start, and from then on, it\u2019s all business. This practice can be incredibly tiring, causing what we now know as (and are all too familiar with) Zoom fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, these meetings are a great opportunity to slip in some chat time. Managers can make it a habit to start or end every video meeting with some unstructured time where participants can check in, talk about their day, discuss fresh news, unwind, and talk about anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Strengthen your business communication and collaboration process with Pumble by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n

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Actively encourage social interaction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since social interaction in a remote environment often needs a bit of a push, you should actively promote it. You can encourage employees to check up on each other in your team chat app or even organize ten-minute one-on-one virtual meetups if they need to unwind or take a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can model this kind of behavior so that everyone understands what you mean and doesn\u2019t mistake it with spamming their teammates unnecessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incorporate a work buddy system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Buddy systems are usually part of the onboarding process, and they help new hires integrate with the team. But this kind of system can extend to others as well, as it\u2019s an excellent way to incorporate some scheduled time for chit-chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can pair up your team and even rotate the buddies after some time so that everyone gets to know each other. Then, encourage the buddies to have a short but sweet video meeting or two per week where they can unwind and enjoy some small talk over coffee or tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create informal channels on your business messaging app<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Pumble by CAKE.com<\/a>, a team chat app, every workspace gets two default channels<\/a> \u2014 #general<\/em> and #random<\/em>. The first one is the only channel no one can leave, so it\u2019s best to use it for official announcements and work-related stuff. The second one, #random<\/em>, was meant for chit-chat, and you can post anything there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from #random, <\/em>you may also create other private and public channels<\/a> where you can encourage informal interaction. For example, you may create channels where employees can discuss their personal interests, such as #movies<\/em>, #pets<\/em>, #podcasts<\/em>, #parenting<\/em>, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Example
Example of an informal channel in Pumble<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Explore Pumble’s Channels<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Play video games together<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Slaying mutual enemies can truly bring a team together. If that sounds like a joke, we recommend you try it \u2014 but only in the virtual world! Video games are proven to boost interpersonal connections<\/a> as well as increase productivity by as much as 20%!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also a great opportunity for your team to engage in some non-work-related banter. This is especially great for introverted people who shy away from small talk as they don\u2019t know where to start. Apart from the fact that they will be thoroughly enjoying themselves, they will be boosting their collaboration skills in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start new social rituals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Monday virtual coffee lounges, Friday quizzes, or bi-weekly book club gatherings are just some ideas on the social rituals you can institutionalize among your WFH team members. A survey on the effects of the pandemic on teams<\/a> has uncovered that remote teams that took conscious effort to \u201cschedule socialization\u201d were much more connected and better performing than those that left these types of interactions to chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage employees to share snippets of their lives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can introduce a dash of personal and human (yet appropriate and light-hearted) interaction in the mostly impersonal business communication by encouraging employees to share parts of their lives with their team. You can incorporate this practice into the chit-chat-designated time during your regular meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, they can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n