Episode: 394

Episode Title: The Zoom Ceiling Hurts These Groups Most

The Zoom Ceiling can hurt any remote worker, but several types of employees are at a higher risk. Let’s talk about it, coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 394 show:

Greetings—you’re now in The Perna Syndicate! Research is finding that some workers, like women, employees with disabilities, and people of color tend to prefer remote work more than others. Why is this?

Well, for starters, working women tend to bear greater childcare and home responsibilities than their male counterparts. Remote work can make juggling all that just a little bit easier. 

Similar dynamics apply when it comes to workers of color, who may prefer to work remotely to avoid racism and microaggressions in the physical workplace. Workers with disabilities are another category of employees who are likely to opt for remote work as an accommodation for their disability. 

If you think about it, a Zoom meeting puts everyone on the same page, in the same size boxes, with the same access to communication. Communication during remote meetings also tends to be more formal while meetings are likely to be recorded—which decreases the potential for microaggressions to occur.

Remote work is clearly a great option for many people—but of course, there’s a catch. And that’s the Zoom Ceiling we’ve been talking about. Because these employee groups tend to prefer working remotely, they’re most at risk for being blocked by the Zoom Ceiling. 

Companies cannot be passive about this. Now is the time to take steps to ensure a fair and equitable experience for all employees—no matter their location.

Tomorrow, we’re going to talk about three ways employers can make sure the Zoom Ceiling isn’t holding their people back. We’ll see you tomorrow, right here on The Perna Syndicate!