The Power of Informal Collision Spaces

Back in 2009, I wrote a short reflection about a conversation with my assistant. She had just come back from the smoking lounge in our building and told me she loved going there. It was not just for the obvious reason. It was because it was the one place where people from every level of the company gathered without pretense. Directors, interns, managers, and executives all stood in the same haze filled room, chatting like equals. “Smoking equalizes everyone,” she said.

At the time, I joked that if companies really wanted to break down the glass ceiling, maybe they should promote smoking. Of course, that was never the point. What stuck with me was not the cigarettes. It was the idea that people behave differently when the environment strips away hierarchy. I sensed there was something powerful in that observation, even if I did not yet have the language for it.

Fast forward to today, and the workplace has changed dramatically. We have swapped smoking lounges for Zoom rooms, cubicles for hybrid schedules, and formal memos for Slack threads. But one thing has not changed. Titles still create distance, and people still crave spaces where they can drop the armor and talk like humans. The real question is not whether smoking equalizes people. It is this: How do we intentionally create environments where employees and leaders can connect without the weight of hierarchy?

Drop the Titles and Talk Like Humans

Every organization has formal structures such as org charts, reporting lines, and job descriptions. But culture is shaped in the informal spaces. These are the hallway chats, the shared frustrations over a broken coffee machine, and the spontaneous conversations that happen when people feel safe enough to be themselves. When those spaces disappear, so does the connective tissue that makes collaboration natural instead of forced.

Modern workplaces need to design for these collision moments, especially in hybrid or distributed environments. And no, that does not mean building a smoking lounge. It means creating opportunities for people to interact as peers rather than positions. Here are some ways companies are doing that today.

Create Human Connection Across Levels

• Purposefully mixed roundtables- Instead of leadership only meetings or employee only listening sessions, some organizations host small mixed roundtables where titles are intentionally removed from name tags. Everyone is simply a first name. The goal is to talk about a shared topic such as innovation, customer experience, or culture without the gravitational pull of hierarchy. When people do not know who outranks whom, they speak more freely and leaders listen more openly.

• Cross level project jams- These are creative sprints where people from different departments and levels come together to solve a challenge in a short, energetic burst. No one is in charge in the traditional sense. The structure itself encourages equal contribution and often reveals hidden talent and fresh perspectives that never surface in traditional meetings.

• Reverse mentoring with a twist Reverse mentoring is not new, but the modern version goes beyond pairing a senior leader with a younger employee. Today’s best programs create small mentoring circles where everyone teaches and everyone learns. Titles matter less because the value flows in multiple directions. Technical skills, cultural insights, lived experiences, and new ways of thinking all move freely within the group.

• Leader office hours that are not about work Some executives now host open office hours where the rule is simple. You can talk about anything except your current projects. People show up to discuss books, hobbies, career aspirations, or even the best local taco spot. These conversations humanize leaders and make them more approachable when real issues arise.

• Digital commons for casual connection In remote and hybrid environments, companies are building virtual spaces that mimic the spontaneity of in person interactions. Think Slack channels for pet photos, shared playlists, virtual coffee chats, or interest based groups. These are not frivolous. They are the digital equivalent of the smoking lounge, minus the health risks.

• Rituals that signal we are all people here Some teams start meetings with a personal check in. Others rotate who leads discussions, regardless of title. Some companies host Ask Me Anything sessions where leaders answer candid questions without scripts. These rituals send a clear message. Hierarchy does not define humanity.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Employees want to feel connected. They want to feel seen. They want to feel like the people around them actually know them, not just their job title. When employees feel comfortable being themselves, they collaborate more naturally. When leaders show up as people instead of positions, trust builds faster. And when companies make it easier for everyone to talk openly, the culture becomes something people want to be part of instead of something they tolerate.

The smoking lounge from 2009 may be long gone, but the lesson it taught me has only gotten louder. When people drop their titles, they raise their voices. They share ideas they would have kept to themselves, ask better questions, and listen differently. They show up differently. And when organizations create spaces where that kind of connection can happen, they unlock something no org chart or strategy deck can manufacture. They create a place where people talk like humans. And that is where the real work begins.