How are you, really?

The question “how are you?” gets thrown about a lot in offices. But how many of us really take the time to get to know the people we work with? Asking the question genuinely and sincerely can yield some heartwarming results and teach us some remarkable things about each other. But with many working remotely and operating on autopilot, getting to know colleagues on a personal level can be tough – awkward, even. This is the story of Eddie and Harold, two colleagues who, despite working in the same company for years, have never truly connected – until one simple question changed everything.

Eddie is a thirty-something office worker who goes about his day like many – head down, glued to his desk, typing away mechanically. Office chat used to come naturally to him, but, since Covid and the rise of remote working, he’s become something of a robot at work. Great at business chat but not so good at small talk.

Recently, he’s been starting to miss the art of conversation at work. Of getting to know people beyond emails and spreadsheets. And today he’s decided to do something about it. His plan? Spark a friendly conversation with someone new or someone he’s not spoken to for a while and see where it goes.

It's lunchtime and Eddie scans the room in search of someone to talk to. Most of his colleagues are already gathered in groups, deep in their own discussions. But one man sits alone by the window, eating in solitude. Eddie recognises him immediately – Harold, the finance controller. A man known for his quiet nature, who’s worked for the company for over 10 years. Eddie’s seen him around the office many times, but they’ve never spoken beyond a polite nod.

Eddie hesitates for a moment. Harold is older, probably in his early sixties. He has a gruff demeanor, always buried in spreadsheets or financial reports. Eddie assumes he’s the type to keep to himself. But today, something feels different. Harold doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would turn down company. Eddie decides to take the leap.

“Sorry to disturb you,” Eddie says, walking over to Harold’s table. “Mind if I join you for lunch?”

Harold looks up, surprised by the interruption, but smiles politely. “Uh, sure. Be my guest. I’m Harold.”

“Nice to meet you, Harold. I’m Eddie. I realised we’ve never actually spoken before, and I thought it’d be nice to say hello.”

Harold raises an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by Eddie’s sudden interest, but his smile remains warm. “Not at all. I’ve seen you around the office. You work on the third floor, right? The Media department?”

“That’s right. Greg’s team. What about you?”

“Finance. Fourth floor.”

The two exchange small talk for a few minutes – nothing too personal, just the usual office pleasantries. Eddie learns that Harold has been with the company for over a decade, that he has a wife and two grown-up children, and that he’s an expert when it comes to numbers. Eddie, in turn, shares a bit about his work in media, though he quickly notices Harold’s distracted air. He doesn’t seem particularly engaged.

Then, Eddie asks a question that will change everything.

“So, how are you, Harold? Having a good week so far?”

Harold hesitates for a second, a flicker of something – was it sadness? – crossing his face. “Yeah, not bad. Could be better, I guess. How about you?”

Eddie senses there’s more to Harold’s answer than he’s letting on. “You don’t sound too happy. How are you, really?”

Harold sighs, his shoulders slumping a bit as he looks away, gathering his thoughts. “You really want to know?”

Eddie nods. “Yeah, if you don’t mind. You don’t seem like yourself today.”

“Well,” Harold begins slowly, “it’s just... everything’s become so repetitive, you know? Getting up in the morning, coming to work, sitting at a desk all day... My mind and body aren’t what they used to be. I feel like I’m just going through the motions.”

Eddie, now genuinely concerned, leans in a little. “I’m sorry to hear that, mate. Anything I can do to help?”

Harold shrugs, but then his eyes brighten. “Actually, you might be able to. Have you worked with this new project management system they’ve rolled out? Switching, I think it’s called. I’ve been struggling to get my head around it, and it’s been driving me mad.”

Eddie smiles. “You mean Switch Up? I’m pretty good with it. I can show you a few tricks, if you like.”

Harold’s face warms, a flicker of relief crossing his features. “You’d do that? I really appreciate it. I don’t want to put you out.”

“Not at all,” Eddie replies. “I’ll give you a quick run-through. How’s 3pm this afternoon?”

Harold glances at his phone, checking his schedule. “Yeah, that works. Thank you so much, Eddie.”

“No problem,” Eddie says, feeling pleased with himself. “I’ll come to you, on the fourth floor, right?”

“Yep, right corner, by the printers. Thanks again, mate.”

The afternoon tutorial goes off without a hitch. Eddie shows Harold the ins and outs of Switch Up, answering all his questions patiently. It’s clear that Harold appreciates the help, and over the next few days, the two start to talk more often. They exchange stories about their work, their lives, and their experiences. Harold begins to open up, telling Eddie about his many past lives – how he’s been a chauffeur, a tailor, even a baker and an impersonator for a brief time.

“Wait, you were an impersonator?” Eddie asks, incredulous. “Who did you impersonate?”

“Oh, a few people,” Harold says with a smile. “But the best one was a guy I used to do a spot-on impression of—Peter Sellers. I used to entertain crowds at corporate events. It was a good laugh.”

Eddie laughs. “That’s amazing! You’ve had so many different careers.”

Harold chuckles, shaking his head. “Yeah, it’s been a wild ride. But nothing compares to my time as a toymaker.”

Eddie stops mid-laugh. “Hold on, a toymaker? Seriously?”

“Yep,” Harold says, his voice softening as he looks away. “I used to make toys for a living. Wooden dolls, action figures, puppets, board game pieces – whatever the customers wanted. It was a good job, and I loved it.”

Eddie blinks in disbelief. “A toymaker? That’s incredible. I had no idea.”

“Oh, it was a long time ago,” Harold says, almost wistfully. “I had a small workshop. A real artisan’s dream. But things change. Life takes you in different directions.”

“I can’t even imagine you as a toymaker,” Eddie says, laughing. “You seem so... finance-y now.”

Harold smiles ruefully. “Yeah, well, after a few bad turns in life, I ended up in finance. But I don’t talk much about my past. It’s a long story.”

Eddie, ever curious, presses on. “What do you mean? What happened?”

Harold sighs. “Let’s just say my last job fell apart, and I ended up here, doing something I’m good at – numbers. But the toymaking... that’s something I’ll always carry with me.”

Over the following weeks, Eddie and Harold grow closer. They swap stories of their lives, and Eddie starts to notice something in Harold’s eyes whenever they talk about the past. A sort of spark. Something that hasn’t been there before.

One afternoon, Eddie finds himself asking a question he hasn’t planned on.

“Harold,” he says, “I’ve been thinking. Do you think you’d ever get back into toymaking?”

Harold chuckles, but his eyes betray a hint of longing. “Oh, you’re kidding, right? My hands aren’t what they used to be. And besides, I don’t have the workshop anymore.”

“I get it,” Eddie says, though he isn’t entirely convinced. “But I don’t know, man. You’ve still got that passion. I can see it when you talk about it.”

Harold gives him a sideways glance. “You really think so?”

Eddie hesitates, then speaks with a surprising amount of conviction. “I think you’re still a toymaker at heart. And... I think you could teach me how to do it.”

Harold stares at him for a long moment, as though weighing the idea. Then, slowly, a smile creeps across his face. “You serious?”

“I am,” Eddie says, grinning. “I want to become a toymaker too, Harold. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And, well, I’m quitting my job next month to retrain.”

Harold looks taken aback. “Wait, you’re really serious?”

“Dead serious,” Eddie replies. “I’ve got a design course lined up. I’m doing it.”

For a moment, there’s silence. Harold’s eyes flicker with a mixture of surprise and something else – perhaps a bit of nostalgia, or even a flicker of envy. Slowly, he cracks a smile.

“Well,” he says, letting out a soft chuckle, “you’ve got more courage than I did back then. I let fear stop me from ever going back to it. But maybe... maybe there’s still time.”

Eddie raises his eyebrows, leaning in with a conspiratorial grin. “You’re not getting off that easy, Harold. When I open my toy shop, you’re going to be my first employee. What do you say? Reunited with your favorite toy?”

Harold lets out a laugh, a deep, rumbling sound that fills the space between them. It’s a laugh that seems to come from somewhere deep within, a laugh of pure joy, of release. “I’ll think about it, kid,” he mutters with a grin.

As they wrap up their conversation, the world outside the office continues to rush by, but inside, for those few moments, it’s just the two of them – an older man rediscovering the joy of his past, and a younger man embarking on a new adventure.

As Joe Keohane writes in The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World, “Talking to strangers isn’t just a way to live. It’s a way to survive.” Connecting with others, even in small ways, can lay the foundation for something much deeper – new opportunities, new friendships, and a sense of belonging.

Eddie and Harold’s story shows how one simple question can change everything. By asking how someone is really doing, we cut through the surface and uncover something real. A small spark of curiosity can reignite lost passions, forge unexpected connections, and remind us that no one is truly a stranger – just a friend waiting to be found.