Poll suggests we get along better with coworkers if we don't see them

Nearly two-thirds of Utahns who have been working from home during the pandemic say their relationships with colleagues have improved since this transition, compared to a national average of 57 percent. The poll by DesertHopeTreatment.com also showed that 37 percent of Utah respondents say that the lack of after-work drinking over the past year has been a positive contribution to better relationships.

Since working from home (WFH) began over a year ago, office parties after landing a big deal or even after-work beers with colleagues after a long day simply haven’t happened. That has eliminated the opportunity for those one or two workers to go overboard on the drinking, which can lead to its fair share of drunken drama. Since these office occasions have been scarce since the pandemic, there has been a corresponding decrease in the drama.

DesertHopeTreatment.com, a leading provider of addiction treatment, conducted a poll of 3,000 employees across the country. When the poll’s figures were broken down across states, employees in South Carolina appear to have gotten the friendliest with each other over the past year or so of working from home, with 80 percent saying their coworking relationships have improved during this time. Comparatively, those in Idaho and South Dakota seem to work better together in the same physical location, with only 25 percent of employees saying working from home has improved their coworking relationships.

The poll also found that 42 percent of Utahns surveyed say gossip and office politics have decreased since WFH began during the pandemic.