New research reveals the strange side effect of remote working

“I work with them every day – but I wouldn’t recognise them in Tesco”

It turns out working together every day doesn’t mean you’d recognise someone in real life. According to new research from online entertainment platform Slotozilla, a staggering 43% of Brits admit they wouldn’t confidently recognise one or more of their own colleagues if they passed them in public – despite regularly speaking to them on video calls.

The study lifts the lid on a bizarre but growing problem in post-pandemic work culture: the breakdown of real-world visual memory.

Key findings include:

  • 43% said they wouldn’t be able to pick some colleagues out of a line-up
  • 22% admitted they’ve already mistaken a co-worker for someone else in person – and just went along with it
  • 1 in 3 said they’ve never seen their teammate’s full body on screen, only their head and shoulders
  • 36% work in teams where the default is “camera off” – meaning they’ve never actually seen what people look like
  • And worryingly, 64% said they’ve Googled or LinkedIn-searched a colleague before an in-person meeting – just to be sure they’d recognise them

“We’re all navigating this strange new era of digital familiarity,” said a spokesperson for Slotozilla, which often explores human behaviour in online environments. “It’s easy to feel like you know someone – but remove the screen, and that connection can vanish instantly. It’s like we’ve built entire relationships in 2D.”

Methodology: The survey was conducted by Slotozilla in May 2025 using an independent polling panel of 2,000 UK-based adults who work in remote or hybrid jobs. Participants were asked about their recognition of colleagues, video call habits, memory of visual cues, and whether they’ve experienced awkward in-person moments after months of digital-only contact.

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