OPEN THREAD: Do you feel "more heard and respected" working from home or in the office?
From last week's Optionality webinar: One reason senior women prefer WFH.
Optionality advisory committee member John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll, shared the above tidbit during last week’s webinar about The Ins, Outs, Ups, and Downs of Fractional Work: 53% of senior professional women (VP level and above) felt more heard and respected when working from home than when working in the office.The cohort of all women and the cohort of women of color had similar survey results.
I thought of two potential reasons off the bat:
On Zoom we’re all in equal boxes, which levels the playing field visually and feels more egalitarian.
On Zoom we can only be see from, perhaps, the clavicle up…IOW you don’t have to be conscious of whether people are looking at or thinking about your body. Maybe this and other micro aggressions are harder to execute in time-boxed interactions on Zoom?
To be clear: I do not know if those reasons were given as detail behind the stat John mentions. I’m just guessing.
So the subject of today’s Open Thread is:
Does this resonate with you. If you’re a woman do you also feel more heard or respected when working from home? If you’re a man, do you feel the same, or no? Or, is this a consideration that hasn’t even crossed your mind?
And why?
Eager to know your thoughts.
My first remote-first role was in 2018--before the Pandemic. I led a global team, and about four months into the role made my first international trip to meet team members in Europe. This was the first time I'd hear what I became quite used to hearing from new colleagues in a remote culture: (said kindly) I had no idea you were so short! As one person on my team said it: "You talk taller!" I had never considered before that remote work could enhance my presence, LOL!
Yes, you are reading that right. This is very specific to meetings and to the broad remote-work environment. In a hybrid situation where a crowd of people are either around a large conference table away from the screen or in a large meeting room where the screen takes in the whole room it is hard for the majority in that room to be seen and sometimes to be heard when they speak to those remote. They may back off because it's a frustrating experience. Those in the boxes may in fact be larger than life and must stay focused on the discussion or it's obvious they are not. I worked for one leader who demanded 'cameras on' in those settings. There was better interaction when folks sat at individual screens even from their desks and were seen equally on the call.
As for the broader discussion, in-office conversations take place formally or informally without those not in the room at times (where video calls are not being used). That can leave expertise and opinions untapped and workers unheard.