Bosses could soon force WFH staff to return to work unless their cameras are on during Zoom meetings, sparking furious debate among Australians.
A growing number of CEOs and managers are fed up with the lack of engagement with staff and have issued reminders about proper online etiquette, along with threats to demand more days in the office if the rule is not followed.
Since employees began working from home four years ago due to the Covid pandemic, video conferencing platforms like Zoom have skyrocketed in popularity, but some employees believed having the camera on was an option.
Many bosses also assumed that the worker was “slacking off” or not even in the same room listening when the camera was not on.
The Zoom etiquette reminder has become a hot topic, but Indeed workplace psychologist Amanda Gordon believes leaving a camera on during a work meeting was “reasonable.”
“It’s really been an opportunity for some people not to come forward,” he said. yahoo .
“I don’t think anyone should be harassed or intimidated into doing it, but I do think that if you can’t show up online, then you should probably show up in the office.”
The issue sparked a heated debate among Australians on social media.
Bosses are fed up with Australian workers not turning on their cameras during video conferences when working from home and threatening RTO if they don’t turn on their cameras (file image)
“Personally, I kind of see the reasoning: introducing him to a group of people with the camera off and silent feels a bit like talking to a brick wall,” one wrote.
Another added: “If it’s a team meeting or something you’re invited to individually and are expected to participate, if it’s expected that there will be cameras on,” one said.
A third commented: “My personal opinion is that the camera on is the minimum.”
“If people join team meetings without cameras, that gives more reason for people to advocate for returning to office.”
But many others have no problems with cameras off during video conferences.
‘Personally I don’t care if they are on or off. If someone has it turned off, I treat it like a phone call. If it’s on, it’s on,’ one wrote.
Another added: “It’s not like people are showing their true selves anyway.” All you get are corporate zombie faces and fake smiles.
A third wrote: “There is literally no need to be on camera unless you are actively participating in the discussions.”
The threat of return-to-work mandates comes after many businesses canceled or reduced work-from-home privileges this year (pictured, Sydney CBD office workers)
Robin Boomer, Gartner senior director for HR, told Yahoo that workers need to be more honest about why they are disengaged if they want to avoid return-to-work (RTO) mandates.
“It’s one of those things that people don’t seem to talk about or say clearly, like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to turn on my camera because I have a bandwidth problem,'” he said.
“If you don’t do that, imaginations run wild and people fall into the fundamental trap of thinking that if a person has their camera off, they’re probably just lazing around.”
Sixty percent of American respondents believed that turning off the camera during a video call is a “race-minimizing measure,” according to Korn Ferry results in 2023.
Boomer believes managers should “set the rules” from the beginning so workers know the etiquette.
The threat of an RTO mandate comes after many companies cut work-from-home privileges and forced people to return to the office this year.
Some of the big-name workplaces that will be bringing their staff back to the office include the NSW Government, Coles, Amazon, Tabcorp and Flight Centre.
The vast majority (82 per cent) of Australian bosses believe staff will return to the office full-time over the next three years, according to KPMG’s latest CEO Outlook Survey.
Corporate giants such as ANZ, Suncorp Bank and Origin Energy have already warned staff that their bonuses will be linked to office attendance.
Amazon also warned its staff that they may not get a promotion if they do not attend the office for the required days.
Workplace psychologist Amanda Gordon believes leaving a camera on during a work meeting was a “reasonable” request from bosses.