Coronavirus has spurred a massive experiment in working life. Beyond those countries under lockdown, employers, including Apple and Google, are encouraging office staff to work from home. This widespread experiment is brilliant for the nosy and judgmental; or, as I prefer, the curious. Courtesy of video calls via Zoom, Skype, Google hangouts and the like, you can peer into the homes of your colleagues and clients.

After all, the modern workplace is frustrating. The vogue for hot-desking and open-plan offices allow few clues to personality as workers must tidy away personal detritus into lockers at the end of the day. Despite the modern mantra for authenticity and the exhortation to bring your “whole self” to work, most corporate workers adopt similar professional guises: suits and plain dresses.

Glimmers of a private life change your view of a colleague. The icy boss transforms into a drip when you catch them indulging their children; the unappealing colleague suggests hidden depths when they reveal an attractive spouse.