This week in Work Different, we're looking at how challenging it's become to maintain our work friends. If you're missing the workplace Bonnie to your Clyde, we get it. Research has shown that having friends at work boosts fulfillment, productivity, and even company loyalty. With the pandemic sending most office workers to work from home for the foreseeable future, many are feeling isolated and missing their regular office routines. Virtual zoom calls and coffee chats just aren’t the same as office banter, lunch dates, and happy hours. The pandemic is changing the nature of all of our relationships, and our work friendships may not survive. It’s possible that lonely workers will redirect that energy toward family, hobbies, and non-work friends. The rise of remote work may just mean that work friendships no longer play a large presence in our social and professional life—and that they become more like regular, “real,” friendships. The Atlantic.

Credit: Daniel Parent

On How to Change Someone's Mind

If you’re a leader, you probably often run into situations where others disagree with your decisions. This piece outlines three specific approaches to having productive conversations: (1) The Cognitive Conversation, (2) The Champion Conversation, and (3) The Credible Colleague Approach. All three are worth a read, and have the shared theme of establishing common ground and staying authentic. But which one do you use or resonate with most? Harvard Business Review.

Credit: Brandon Bell

On Using the Term BIPOC

You have probably seen the acronym BIPOC recently. It stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color. In this piece, Sandra Garcia expresses the problematic nature of the term, as it has caused confusion around if Latinos and Asians are included. She also points out that “trying to fit all people of color and Native Americans in one term can seem tone deaf.” Attempting to represent so many distinct identities in a single term is a challenging task. Give this a read and learn about how this term of racial identity is being perceived. New York Times.