Zoom, the great equalizer? How spatial inequality could be solved with virtual working

I recently attended Talent Talks Live, 2020 a completely virtual event created for executives within the Learning, Development & Talent space. I was lucky enough to participate in a virtual roundtable hosted on Zoom. Within the discussion, one of the senior executives attending suggested that 'Zoom could be a great equalizer of spatial inequality that is seen within physical workplaces.' I want to explore this idea a little further in this article, as many know I am a huge advocate for remote working (when it's done properly!)

Humans are naturally creatures of habit and when I think of space & how people interact with it, I often think of Sheldon, from The Big Bang Theory, who is so adamant about "his spot" on their couch, where should anyone else sit in it all hell breaks loose. Despite it being within a communal room.

This type of common-space ownership can be translated and true of the office as well. There will be positions & spaces within an office environment where people have an unwritten hierarchy of place & space. The head of the table for example, where one would assume the most senior person sits. The outside chairs, meant for the junior folk to join the meeting to listen in, and learn. Space will also inherently shape our interactions as well, those who are sat closest to each other have a higher chance of building rapport and so on. Naturally meaning there is inbuilt inequality.

Some companies have previously attempted to combat this challenge with bringing in policies of hot-desking - but even so, human nature often overrides policy and you'll find people choose the same desk and meeting spaces, even if they're not allowed to personalise these spaces any more. We like familiarity.

However, what Zoom does is completely blow our subconscious norms of space out of the water.

Suddenly everyone becomes a box on a screen (and equally sized box at that.) There is no longer someone sat at the head of the table, or on the nicest comfiest chair that everyone tries to sit on. Now the most junior executive in the room appears visually equally on the screen as the most senior. The power balance is totally spatially altered. You are even able to put a "virtual background" on your video as well, meaning colleagues and peers wouldn't be able to tell if you're in a mansion or bedsit.

So what does this mean for inclusion? I believe what we have seen recently, and will continue to see is a greater chance for those who may have been overlooked or overspoken during physical meetings/events have a chance to really contribute virtually. As a junior executive, you will be afforded the chance to join far more meetings given that there are no longer limited seats, increasing both your exposure to senior leadership, but also greater the chances of your learning & developing from them.

However, it is important to acknowledge the risk of the well-known 'zoom fatigue'. There was undoubtedly an uptick in the use of video conference platforms in the early part of 2020. However, increasingly I am told by executives from all departments that their teams are becoming fatigued by the constant use of Zoom. There is a lot of energy that is put into 'preserving the self' on video camera, far more than in person. It can be argued different groups of people suffer from this fatigue more than others, layering the issue. This is exactly why I say at the top of this article that I am an advocate of remote working when done properly. There is a balance that needs to be created. Whereby the new opportunities to challenge institutional inequality of space, but also the wellbeing of employees.

I would love to hear your recommendations for balancing this.

My thoughts are as followed:

• Have at least one meeting per week where turning on your video is not expected.
• Conduct a meeting audit - does this really need to be a meeting?
• Have meeting free afternoons or mornings, allowing team members to get other work done.
• Make use of platforms like Slack, Teams or Google Chats where micro conversations can be had instead of picking up the phone.
• Block out break times. Stretch your legs and go for a walk, make a cup of tea, have some lunch. Block these times out on your calendar to ensure breaks between calls.
• Take meetings on the go. Get out the house and walk and talk. (I realise this isn't always possible, but sometimes it can be!)

Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this concept - feel free to message me or email me on: [email protected]