Zoom has been one of the most used tools during the pandemic thanks to teleworking. So much so that it has gone from having 10 million users a day at the end of 2019 to 300 million since April 2020. This new habit of working remotely has brought with it numerous advantages already known to all, but also some disadvantages that are they can translate into layoffs.
And, according to a Vyopta survey of 200 executives of large companies, almost one in four executives has fired an employee for a slip during a video call. Blunders such as being late joining a group call, having a poor internet connection, accidentally sharing compromising information, or not knowing when to silence yourself have all been grounds for termination.
These oversights can cause serious damage to the company, causing the loss of customers, sales opportunities or failure to meet deadlines, according to the survey from which it is also extracted that executives do not fully trust that at least 33% of their staff perform efficiently when working from home.
Nonetheless, executives continue to support telecommuting, and nearly 75% intend to keep or expand the number of employees who are allowed to work under a hybrid scheme over the next 12 months. A system that is becoming more and more common in offices.
Mass layoffs
On the other hand, and as has been demonstrated during the pandemic, it is increasingly common to announce massive layoffs through Zoom in order to save time, among other things. For example, Uber announced the firing of 3,500 employees in a single three-minute Zoom call.
WW International laid off 4,000 employees around the world with a simultaneous video conference. “It was not practical to have a conversation with each of them,” confessed the CEO of the company. Also Bird, a manufacturer of scooters, got rid of 30% of its team, 400 people, with a call from Zoom that those affected believed was a pre-recorded video. “We think it is more human,” said its CEO.
