As we grapple with the upside the flexible working provides colleagues with the opportunities face time offers for personal and professional development, one of the consequences is the changing nature of friendships. We all know people who met at work and became life partners. And we all have friends from previous employment we would never have met otherwise. 

I am a firm believer in face to face contact where possible as an enhancer of relationships both professional and personal. More importantly, it would appear that having friends at work is a key indicator for happiness in employment - which benefits everyone. I enjoyed this short piece on the upsides of face to face engagement on mental health and friendships. Shared experiences, listening to your friends' stories, sharing opinions and the "thrill of being understood by another" are not exclusive to the workplace of course. But perhaps we should be careful not the throw such opportunities away too soon.