Want to be happier at work? Sure, an hour off to work out every afternoon, free taco buffets on Tuesdays and early quitting time on Fridays might do the trick, but it turns out even small changes can boost office morale.

CNN reports that research scientist Ben Waber, CEO of Sociometric Solutions, has been analyzing stuff like work-ID-badge data, e-mail, phone logs, meeting info and IM patterns to track office trends. His research found that what makes folks happier and more productive are simple changes such as sitting at a larger lunch table, which leads to a bigger social network; communicating face to face rather than by e-mail; and getting up and walking around the office, even just to say hi to a coworker, according to the network.

“It can be through bumping into people by the coffee machine. Just standing there and chatting gives you new perspective,” Waber tells CNN. “Our research shows that chance encounters make people more effective.”

Penciling in time to chitchat? We’ll see you at the watercooler.

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