[yojo]

Communication quality also varies based on team cohesiveness. When I'm working with people I like, I trust that they're being respectful of my time when they communicate with me, and I am less likely to push back on a request that delays my feature but is for the greater good. Employees are also better able to negotiate around features/architectural decisions when they trust each other.

I worked on a team with deep trust issues between the product manager and engineers; PM didn't believe engineers were doing their best/giving fair estimates, engineers didn't believe the PM was asking for features that would lead us to success in the market. This lack of trust meant a big fight every sprint, and a lot of productivity lost to arguments and the ensuing distraction. Sample size of one, but the PM never had lunch with engineers or otherwise engaged with them socially. I can't prove it, but I suspect things would have gone a lot smoother if we'd all been friends.

tldr: Off-topic communication can still be good communication (in moderation) because it helps develop/maintain high quality relationships between the people you work with.