Formal Structures and Informal Realities in the Age of Changing Workspaces

Due to the developments in technology, the traditional physical workplace has been replaced by a workspace at one’s own home. The formal structures that determined hierarchy, reporting relationships, and responsibility are transforming and learning about informal realities that emerge due to trust and communication has become essential. The advent of remote working and flexible timings has affected the scenario because informal interactions that used to happen in shared spaces are now being performed through digital means and self-paced communication. 

According to Denner et al., informal communication ensures that people become more connected, experience trust, receive relaxation from stress, and build relationships. The abovementioned functions cannot be performed via formal mechanisms, which increases the importance of informal communication in creating and sustaining relationships, exchange of information, and coordination necessary for organisational success. These issues are highlighted in the paper by Singh and Denner (scoping review), who trace how engagement and identity are sustained in organisations through informal communication. Thus, both works demonstrate that informal realities are essential to organisational success, as they compensate for the gaps created by formal structures.

As remote work was introduced, the places where informal communication usually occurs became unavailable. It can be proved by the statement provided by Viererbl et al.: “You don't meet anybody when walking from the living room to the kitchen.” Due to the absence of informal encounters, there are no opportunities for exchange of ideas and creation of relationships. In addition, even casual talks should be planned beforehand. However, it means that remote work does not get rid of informal realities but only relocates them to the digital space.

Informal Communication  

Denner et al. (2024) conducted a large survey of over 1,000 employees, showing that informal communication fosters connectedness, trust, stress relief, and relationship building. These functions are not easily replicated by formal structures, emphasizing the importance of informal communication in developing and maintaining social relationships, information exchange, and coordination which are all vital for organizational success. Singh and Denner (2025) reinforce this in their scoping review by mapping how informal communication sustains engagement and identity within organizations. Together, these studies reveal that informal realities are central to organizational success, filling gaps left by formal hierarchies and helping employees feel part of a community.

The shift to remote work has diminished the physical spaces where informal communication thrives. Viererbl et al. (2022) capture this by stating, “You don’t meet anybody when walking from the living room to the kitchen.” The lack of casual encounters limits opportunities for spontaneous idea exchange and relationship building. Now, even casual conversations often require planning in advance. However, this indicates that remote work does not eliminate informal realities,it simply moves them to digital spaces, which can have mixed outcomes.

According to Lütjens and Felfe (2026), informal communication and knowledge transfer were limited during remote workdays, and consequently, team commitment decreased. The moderating effect of task interdependence revealed that teams with higher interdependence relied on informal interactions to maintain cooperation, suggesting that hybrid working should be designed to support informal communication.

Moreover, according to Begemann, Handke, and Lehmann‑Willenbrock (2024), there are 11 determinants facilitating or hindering remote informal communication that include socio‑contextual, intrapersonal, and technological dimensions. Furthermore, it has been proved that although remote informal communication has a democratizing potential, it has a negative influence on immediacy and intimacy, meaning the emergence of informal realities of new kinds.

These arguments lead to the conclusion that the transformation of the workforce alters informal realities but does not do away with them. They can limit the opportunity to engage in informal activities, and hybrid teams can have issues with knowledge sharing, still, informal communication is vital for trust-building, feeling of belonging and productive work.

Organisational Success Implications  

In order to operate successfully within the sphere of remote and flexible work, organisations need to go beyond their formal structures and facilitate the development of informal realities. In particular, this implies the creation of informal communication spaces like virtual coffee breaks, peer networks or casual online forums to maintain connectedness. The organisations should ensure that the informal contributions of workers are also recognised. It is also necessary to encourage shared leadership so that informal leaders can build trusting and collaborative relationships between members of geographically dispersed teams. Finally, the organisations have to facilitate self-paced informal realities by setting inclusive norms that will make it possible for flexible working employees to contribute informally.

Conclusion  

The changes in working spaces do not mean the end of informal realities instead they evolve to ensure the continuation of creating connections, trust, and productivity. Those organisations that possess both formal clarity and informal connectedness will be most successful in the future of work.