> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://playbooks.equalexperts.com/remote-working/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://playbooks.equalexperts.com/remote-working/introduction/interactions.md). # Interactions ## Interactions: proximity, privacy, and legitimacy Encounters lead to interactions, which allow communications. How do we increase the frequency of encounters? What factors turn encounters into interactions? How do we convert interactions into communications? ![](/files/-M5WglNF81s8AcMzQHEm) ### Proximity Increasing the physical distance separating people at work is likely to decrease the amount of spontaneous, informal contact among them. There need only be a small amount of distance between people before they stop interacting. **Impact on Remote Working:** You need to reduce the friction required to connect to your team. Each slow response to a question is like moving your desk an extra few meters away from your team until eventually, you are in the basement office with the door closed. Using always-on Zoom channels or fast response to Slack messages can increase your teams’ proximity with minimal effort. ***NB**: Although we use Slack and Zoom as the default messaging and video conference tools, other tools exist that might be as good. We just haven’t found them.* ### Privacy People must have confidence that private conversations are only heard by those intended and not overheard by anyone else. Interactions in the absence of such privacy — talking in a corridor, for example — risk being silenced or broken up by the appearance of others and raise concerns about what the interrupter might have heard. **Impact on Remote Working:** If the only time you speak to another team member is on the daily Zoom call with 15 other people, then you will never create the necessary environment for people to have those frank and honest conversations that are required. Consider taking a video call directly, or take conversations to temporary Slack messaging so you can thrash out the details. Just remember, once you have finished, consider sharing the outcome with the rest of the team in a shared channel, so everyone has the context. ### Legitimacy The social definition of the space: What is supposed, obliged and allowed to occur there. People have got to feel comfortable that it is okay for them to be in a certain place, that is, not feel embarrassed or discredited. For an encounter to become an informal interaction, the people involved must not only feel comfortable about what others will see and hear — the issue of privacy — but also what others will think. **Impact on Remote Working:** In a remote environment, having different channels for people to talk about topics ranging from specific technical subjects to a place just for some watercooler chat helps promote legitimacy between co-workers. Remember that shy people in a remote setting will be doubly shy, so ensure that the team environment invites active communications across all team members. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://playbooks.equalexperts.com/remote-working/introduction/interactions.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.