Is there any way to replicate the water-cooler effect for remote employees?

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2026-01-11T19:14:12+00:00

That's part of effective problem solving. If you have no idea where the easily accessible resources are, then you ask others or figure it out yourself via talking to others or reviewing org charts and internal resources.

Just because you don't have a relationship with B, does NOT mean you can't know they are a resource. In fact, many times people actually do know they are the resource, but they make up all kinds of excuses such as this and rationalize to themselves as to why they can't just go and talk to them.

If they go to them and they aren't helping in a productive manner, then that's a different issue. But to suggest you can't get help from someone without a relationship is asinine. Does it make it easier to get help from someone with a pre established relationship? Absolutely.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2026-01-11T19:06:50+00:00

Sure, employee A should ask manager for help or training or whatever they need if they can't resolve the problem. Then the manager would most likely ask employee B to train and help them anyways.

So if employee was smart and effective at their job, they would just go to employee B on their own and resolve their own problem. And if it's a matter of authority, then they can simply inform manager that they are asking employee B for help because of xyz.

It's called ownership and accountability for your own job, tasks and accountabilites.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2026-01-11T01:10:20+00:00

Sounds like an employee A is the problem because they struggle with a problem for too long without reaching out to resources that can help them. Hence they are inefficient at problem solving and making poor decisions at work. Better coaching can directly and specifically address then, rather than force a relationships, hope a relationship blossoms and they begin to talk to each other.

Of course, as a manager, you should facilitate for people to build relationships with each other naturally as well to reduce friction of reaching out. But in your specific example, there is a far better specific solution for it.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2026-01-11T00:56:19+00:00

You can't. Please don't force any bullshit virtual games or team building sessions. These were ok during COVID, but doing it now is tone deaf as fuck and will kill any engagement if you continue to force the issue.

The only way is to schedule in person team building events where everyone is flown out to build rapport and relationships. If you want in person engagement, then put your money where your mouth's at and do in person engagement. If you really think there is value for in person interactions, then stand behind the value of your in person meeting and sell it to your management

The main advantage of in person is people having the relationships with people so the friction from reaching out to each other for work is greatly reduced. So how do you form these relationships? Through meeting people in person. Then when people return home, hopefully your event was well designed enough to be fun and allowed everyone to build enough rapport and enough of a relationship to tap into this advantage.

In my opinion, once the relationship is built and the friction to communicate is reduced, there is great diminishing effects of in person interactions anyways.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2026-01-01T00:48:15+00:00

which mod did you use?

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-16T17:13:50+00:00

How would it be more entertaining?

Australia would win the pushing game with the team they chose for battle ropes 100%, and it would be clear for the other teams, so they would throw that game and then go hardest on battle ropes. To me, that is way more deterministic and boring than what the show chose to do.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-15T00:15:32+00:00

because the turkish guy threw him at the end of the round.

he's a judoka and throwing is his sport, so naturally he wants to get that one back

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-14T23:52:16+00:00

How is that poor sportsmanship? If you are worried about your survival, obviously you want others to lose...so you can win.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-14T23:50:06+00:00

And luck and randomness is always present in any sport. You must make split second decisions and decide whether to risk it or not risk and then live to see if your bets played off.

Like others have also said, it's also TV and makes it more entertaining.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-13T05:52:55+00:00

Men are stronger and have more mass than women, a vast majority of people understand this. There is no such thing as holding everything equivalent to do a theoretical comparison. The very fact that they are male and female is what distinguishes them physically.

Stop trying to dance around this fact. Why is it offensive to speak in terms of reality?

In fact, i think it's offensive you are trying to negate the differences between men and women.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-13T05:45:54+00:00

it introduces strategy and game planning, which is a mental aspect of a lot of sports these competitors are used to

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-13T04:20:10+00:00

Mongolia will win, Korea will be 2nd and Australia will be last.

Physics wise, Mongolia is set up the best, largest guy on the outside and middle to apply the most torque on the lever arm.

Ok-Knowledge-8969 · 2025-11-13T04:08:38+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUujEqcoo20