1 in 4 bosses say they’ve fired staff for mistakes made on Zoom calls while penalising others, survey finds

As remote work persists, so too does our ever increasing commitment to Zoom etiquette. “Muting” and “unmuting” have emerged as mainstream lexicon, ubiquitous with workplace civility, a la “how was your weekend?” Even Zoom-specific terminology like “can everyone see my screen?” has become pervasive to the point of being printed on mugs.

But even as Zoom blunders materialise as viral memes (“I’m here live, I’m not a cat”), it turns out employees have much more to lose than a few seconds of audio should they slip up whilst using the video conference software — like their jobs.

Indeed, according to survey commissioned by Vyopta Inc., which aides companies with workplace collaboration and communication, nearly one in four bosses have fired employees for errors made on Zoom, while over a third of executives at least removed a staffer from a project for their behaviour on video. Meanwhile, 40 percent confessed to administering “informal reprimands” as a result of improper Zoom decorum and over half of respondents revoked a staffer’s responsibility for managing calls after making a mistake.

What’s more, many executives “don’t fully  trust a third of their staff to perform effectively when working remotely,” Bloomberg reports.

The aforementioned is especially disappointing, considering how many employees are advocating for remote work, many leaving their jobs in search of more flexibility. Dubbed “The Great Resignation,” the U.S. is seeking more employees quitting their jobs than ever before, or at least planning to: In August, 65 percent of employees were seeking new roles, while Microsoft predicted that over 40 percent of Americans would leave their positions by the year’s end.

Ironically, Microsoft also concluded that while people want “flexible” work options and report feeling overworked, bosses remain blissfully unaware, under the impression that everything is fine in the workplace.

Perhaps more bosses should take a lesson in “muting themselves” and actually listen to their direct reports.