Here’s a question to spice up your mid-week Slack or Teams chatter:
Are we, the champions of remote work, slowly morphing into a horde of mute, invisible yes-men and yes-women? (or even more concerning, cowards?) Ponder on that as you toggle between ‘Gallery’ and ‘Speaker’ view on your next online call.
Remember when having your camera on was almost a decree? Fast-forward to today, and cameras are more often off than on. Even the Dev guys, who were early adopters of the camera-off trend, have made it clear: visual presence is optional. The excuses are abundant, from “bad lighting” to “distracting backgrounds,” and let’s be honest, who hasn’t used the classic “Wi-Fi issues” line?
What happened to that fearless colleague who would march into a conference room and toss a game-changing idea onto the table? Today, they’re a name and a muted mic, hidden behind a camera-off symbol in a digital swarm. The ‘Raise Hand’ feature has become a modern-day dilemma, creating a virtual risk-assessment scenario each time we consider using it. “Do I dare disrupt the flow of the meeting?” we ponder, cursor nervously hovering.
The irony of it all is staggering. Remote work promised a liberation from the cubicle confines, yet here we are, hesitant to speak up. Why are we now censoring ourselves more than ever? Phrases like “I don’t want to sidetrack the discussion,” “This might not be the best time,” or “Let’s not reinvent the wheel” have become the go-to script for avoiding risk – and possibly, innovation.
So, here’s the conversation we’ve been skirting: Is this newfound autonomy making us more timid? Are we muting our microphones and, in the process, muting our courage to innovate and stand out?
The spotlight is yours – if you choose to step into it. Are you the unseen, unheard employee, comfortably fading into the virtual background, or are you ready to defy the new normal? Time to break the silence; the conversation starts now. Your move!
