So a thing I always knew about meetings which is now even more obvious when everyone is working remotely is that meetings are at least 90% about building working relationships with your colleagues, maybe 10% everything else. 1/

Now, a part of me absolutely wants to roll my eyes, therefore, and be like OMG just stop scheduling me for all these damn Zoom meetings okay? and I could actually do the things the Zoom meetings are about 90% faster.

But another part of me recognizes that my (our?) impatience with the lack of "productivity" that comes out of meetings stems from the fact that we don't see caring for our interpersonal relationships as a) valued labor, that is b) integral to workplace functioning. 3/

Working remotely highlights in stark contrast how much time in a typical workday many employees are actually paid simply to be in physical proximity to other employees of the same institution such that they are on familiar, comfortable terms with one another. 4/

My workplace has created Zoom coffee breaks and Zoom happy hours for co-workers to congregate if they want to socialize in digital spaces, in addition to meetings, which I think is fascinating. 5/

I'm more aware, in these digital contexts, of the ways I'm paid to be ... simply *present* to colleagues? Which is an interesting thing to think about in terms of labor politics. I don't have a good vs. bad feeling about it yet. Still processing. 6/6