Exploring online and offline interactions within the workplace collective

Scholarship has examined the ways in which online communication plays a part in fostering a sense of connection within socially oriented virtual communities. However, there is a paucity of scholarly work that addresses one's sense of connection in the workplace and the degree to which different modes of communication are related to the fostering of community in this context. Given the fact that the barrier between home and work is being blurred by the amount of time Americans are spending at work---either physically or remotely---the question of community sustainability in the workplace is an important one. Alongside this blurring is the increased time spent interacting with co-workers online in the workplace. What is unknown is whether online communications are capable of fostering a close connection with others in the "workplace collective," or whether other types of communication such as face-to-face communication better foster a sense of connection. Therefore, the goal of this research is to better understand how different modes of communication (offline, offline mediated, and online) are related to (a) one's sense of community within the workplace and (b) one's sense of workplace health.