Glimpses into coworkers’ personal lives foster connections

In a world where Zoom calls, hybrid schedules, and remote work are now routine, the boundary between personal and professional lives has never been more porous.

Conventional wisdom suggests that remote work reduces opportunities for meaningful connections among coworkers. New research, however, reveals a paradox: These very work-from-home conditions might actually strengthen bonds by exposing coworkers to unintentional, vivid, and personal aspects of each other's lives.

A recent study by Ashley Hardin, associate professor of organizational behavior at WashU Olin, published in the Academy of Management Journal, explores how accidental exposure to coworkers' nonwork worlds can deepen investments in relationships and reshape workplace dynamics.

The findings carry important implications for organizational behavior and workplace culture. They suggest that relational closeness doesn’t always require formal team-building exercises or structured interactions. Instead, incidental exposure to coworkers’ personal worlds — especially when it’s unpolished and authentic — can foster a sense of shared humanity that deepens interpersonal ties.

A new kind of connection

“Working from home has made it increasingly common for coworkers to see glimpses of each other’s private lives — children interrupting calls, pets wandering into view, or cluttered home offices,” Hardin said.

Rather than being distractions, the glimpses serve as windows into coworkers’ worlds. According to the study, learning about coworkers through vivid moments (defined as emotionally engaging and concrete) that are unintended and nonwork-related fosters perceptions of authenticity, trustworthiness, and humanness.

The finding challenges a core premise of social penetration theory, which holds that relationships develop gradually through deliberate self-disclosure over time. Instead, relationships can accelerate and deepen through spontaneous moments that bypass the usual guarded layers of workplace communication.

The paper is “A window into coworkers’ worlds: The relational outcomes of learning vivid, unintentional, and nonwork-related information about coworkers.” Hardin’s coauthors are Beth Schinoff of the University of Delaware, Kris Byron of Georgia State University, and Rachel Balven of Arizona State University.

Vivid, unintentional, and personal

The authors identify three dimensions of coworker learning that catalyze deeper connections:

1. Life in real time. Seeing someone’s life in action — like a child bursting into a Zoom call or a cat jumping onto a keyboard — brings abstract knowledge to life in a way that feels real and immediate.
2. Unintentional revelations. Accidental moments are interpreted as more genuine than curated disclosures, reducing skepticism and enhancing perceptions of authenticity.
3. Not related to work. Learning about hobbies, family dynamics, or living environments offers insight into the person behind the professional façade, triggering empathy and relational warmth.

“When these dimensions come together, they allow employees to see their coworkers not just as colleagues, but as full, relatable human beings,” Hardin said.

Seeing is believing

The study employed field surveys and experimental designs to validate its hypotheses. In one experiment, participants observed a simulated Zoom meeting in which a coworker intentionally or unintentionally revealed information about their dog, child, or professional achievements. The findings were clear: Participants who saw these types of disclosures rated the coworker as more authentic, trustworthy, and human. In turn, they reported a higher willingness to invest in personal and professional relationships with that coworker.

For example, participants were more likely to want to work with or befriend a colleague after seeing their child unexpectedly interrupt a meeting than after hearing that same coworker intentionally talk about their recent employee-of-the-month award.

Rethinking the nature of work relationships

The study highlights how physical and technological environments shape social dynamics. Open floor plans, speakerphones, and video meetings can either facilitate or inhibit these spontaneous disclosures, depending on how they are used. Rather than viewing remote work as a barrier to relationship-building, the research encourages organizations to embrace the opportunities for connection that arise from the informality of the home environment.

“For managers, this research underscores the value of allowing space for the personal to surface at work,” Hardin said. Encouraging video use in meetings (while being sensitive to individual preferences), creating space for informal conversation, and normalizing interruptions from home life can all promote a more connected workplace.

At the same time, it’s essential to recognize the boundaries of privacy and consent. Not every employee is comfortable with their personal life becoming visible. Organizations should foster cultures where both openness and discretion are respected, Hardin said.

In an era when work is no longer confined to the office, the boundaries between professional and personal lives are shifting. With that shift comes a powerful opportunity. By embracing the unexpected, the unfiltered, and the unintentional, coworkers can build more human, trusting, and authentic relationships.

The research not only offers new insight into how relationships develop in the modern workplace, but it also provides a hopeful reminder: Sometimes the most meaningful connections come when we aren’t trying to make them at all.