What is and how to overcoming the Zoom Ceiling

Remote Working and the Zoom Ceiling

Remote workers face additional challenges in the competition for recognition, pay and promotion. Should your organisation be concerned about these phenomena and how should managers respond?

What is the Zoom Ceiling?

The concept of the Zoom ceiling draws its analogy from the glass ceiling, a term initially popularised to depict the unseen yet formidable barriers that hinder high-achieving women from ascending to the apex of the corporate hierarchy. Over time, it has been extended to delineate the challenges in career progression faced by other marginalised groups, including young people in the organisation, not a group that is usually associated with discrimination and passed-over opportunities.

With the increase in remote working researchers and analysts have started to discuss the Zoom ceiling, a phenomenon impacting remote employees - those who predominantly utilise video conferencing and calls for professional purposes, hence the name.

This issue can be particularly pronounced for women who choose to work from home to attend to familial responsibilities and find themselves inadvertently relegated to the slower-paced "Mommy track." Research by Stanford University found that 32% of college-educated American women with children want to work remotely full-time, compared with 23% of comparable men, similar patterns are found in the UK.

Why is there a Zoom ceiling?

The old saying “out of sight is out of mind” is true, we are less likely to think of colleagues who are not visible to us and the interactions we have are different.

Even in the dullest of offices, there are a myriad of social interactions and places to interact, build relationships, and spark ideas. In contrast, interactions by video conferencing are more sterile (especially if your organisation is like mine and many staff are reluctant to use their cameras). Physical presence is just better for human interaction.

Coupled with this is our natural inclination to prefer people, locations, and situations with which we are familiar with, giving those who we interact with more often the opportunity to build on what is termed proximity bias as this article from the Harvard Business Review discussed

How should managers respond to the Zoom Ceiling?

Any bias means that the company is making decisions based no on data but on “gut reactions”. Leaving aside the moral argument, this for efficiency reasons is a reason to examine what can be done.

1. Self-reflection

Being aware of a bias is always the first step in resolving it as a potential issue.

It's essential for leaders and managers to make a deliberate attempt to ensure equal treatment of all employees, irrespective of where they are based. Each employee should be seen as a valued and equal contributor to the team. However, remote workers encounter additional obstacles in getting their viewpoints acknowledged.

2. Organisational changes

Remote working has its own set of challenges, setting up your organisation to overcome this will make it more likely that it will be successful for the company and employees.

Establish clear remote work policies that outline expectations, communication protocols, and performance evaluation criteria for remote employees. This helps create a level playing field and ensures that remote workers are not overlooked or undervalued.

Involve remote employees in decision-making processes and project assignments to ensure their voices are heard and their contributions are recognised. This can be achieved through regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative tools.

Unsure you have the right tools in place for your company, these may be project management tools which help people collaborate and organise better when they are remote from one another, chat tools which are quicker and less formal than email, and Work From Home Tracking tools such as Workforce Wisdom Work from Home Tracking so work patterns are recorded and transparent.

3. Structured time

Traditional annual performance reviews have been a fixture in most companies for years, with new working patterns it may necessitate a reevaluation of this process. This means engaging with remote team members more regularly, in a structured pattern which won't be missed due to competing calls on the manager's time.

On one front, it allows managers to maintain a closer connection with employees, ensuring their well-being and guarding against burnout or detachment. Conversely, it affords remote workers the opportunity to highlight their achievements and engage in meaningful discussions about forthcoming initiatives and advancements.

Furthermore, this approach fosters a culture of continuous feedback and support, promoting employee growth and satisfaction while aligning with the fluid nature of contemporary work environments.

4. Ensure meetings involve everyone

Video conferencing is a great tool but it has limitations, being aware of those will help your organisation to overcome those limitations.

The Chair of the meeting should make a conscious effort to make sure that those joining the meeting remotely are included and not merely present. Most video conferencing systems have a way for participants to raise a hand, which should be monitored, the chair should also stop and ask remote participants if they have anything they wish to contribute.

It also helps is everyone joining remotely has their cameras on and if there is a team in the physical location a proper webcam is used which can see everyone. Ideally coupled with a big screen. Some firms use tables which taper, so it is possible to see everyone sitting around the table from the Webcam.

5. Make training available to all employees and ensure that no one misses out on mentoring

Training and mentoring play pivotal roles in mitigating the Zoom ceiling by fostering professional growth, enhancing skills, and bolstering confidence among remote employees. In an era where remote work is increasingly prevalent, investing in comprehensive training programs equips employees with the knowledge and tools needed to excel in their roles from any location.

Additionally, mentoring provides invaluable guidance and support, offering remote workers opportunities for career development and networking. By prioritising training and mentoring initiatives, organisations can empower remote employees to overcome challenges, showcase their capabilities, and advance their careers, ensuring equal opportunities for all irrespective of physical location.

The Zoom Ceiling is a very real effect, and will in time stifle employees who have adopted a remote or hybrid working environment. Your organisation if it allows remote working should be mindful to avoid this, as it will manifest itself in employees who get demotivated and leave, or lack the skills and experience to take on more challenging roles and responsibilities.

Organisations that do allow remote working can mitigate the impact by rethinking some of how they operate and training managers accordingly.