Spatial structure of workplace and communication between colleagues: A study of E-mail exchange and spatial relatedness on the MIT campus

Andres Sevtsuk, Bahij Chancey, Rounaq Basu, Martina Mazzarello

Abstract: Highlights•Physical office proximity is associated with higher levels of E-mail exchange.•Unfamiliar colleagues, who are more likely to walk past each other’s offices, exchange more E-mails with each other.•For familiar colleagues, higher spatial encounter probability may lead to face-to-face communication instead of E-mail.•Workers with access to similar eating venues are more likely to exchange E-mails with each other.•If encounters with each other’s offices occur in more crowded corridors, chances of E-mail communication are reduced.•E-mail exchange is more likely if researchers are connected via indoor corridors than routes involving outdoor links.