You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression at the Office—Until Now

As workers return to offices, they’re encountering a rare chance to reset the relationships they have formed online with colleagues

Meeting colleagues face to face for the first time after years of remote work can provide a whole new beginning in your work relationships.Illustration: Elise Vandeplancke

With Covid case rates waning and vaccine boosters widely available, companies nationwide are encouraging (or in some cases, mandating) that employees resume in-office work. That means a lot of people are meeting co-workers face-to-face for the first time after years on Zoom.

Because the brain processes online first impressions differently from ones made in person, those returning workers have a rare chance at a second first impression, resetting the relationships they have formed with colleagues online during years of working remotely. 

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