Flexibility rules: online meetings and workshops

Remember plain clothes days at school? Wear what you want. Music to a school kid’s ears. Ditch the uniform and be yourself.

Judging by their excitement on casual clothes days, the kids in the primary school around the corner from me feel just the same. 

Some of their elders are just as delighted with the fact that we can wear what we like in our virtual working world – as long as it is not on camera. 

Freedom to wear what they like was one of the things that people appreciate about our more flexible online working world. This was based on the results of a survey I did recently with clients and colleagues. I asked two questions:   

👎 What’s your biggest beef with online meetings/workshops?

👍🏽 What’s the thing you enjoy, like, appreciate the most?

Flexibility followed closely behind inclusivity on the list of the things that people enjoy. 

People like being able to manage their own environment.
 

“…if it is a meeting you are just listening to…you can do the ironing whilst you listen…”
“Learning from comfort of home.”
“Ability to get up and walk around while listening.”

Others welcomed that the benefits that came from reduced travel time.

“More time for exercise, reading and playing with dog.”

Some felt that the online environment, “gives people room to be creative and flexible…sharing funny memes, backgrounds, doing things like 'Frock Up Friday' or virtual happy hour after work.”

People liked being where they like.

“Making working from home possible”
“Enabling work from anywhere.”

“Definitely the convenience,” was appreciated by others.

For one self-employed consultant the virtual world feels, “more social and connected than ever before,” as the rest of the workforce catches up with ‘all us others who work remotely, on our own and in a freelance environment.”

And yes, some celebrated the fact that they could wear what they like - as long as it can’t be seen on camera.
 

‘It does not matter what you wear and you can see the person.’
‘Meetings with ugg boots on.’
‘Wearing trackies from waist down.’

I doubt any self-conscious teenager would wear tracksuit pants or ugg boots with confidence on a casual clothes day at their school. As much as ‘no uniform’ days represent freedom, they can also cause others to be judgemental. For example, one of the ‘beefs’ that respondents had with virtual meetings was that people ‘don’t present themselves well’. 
 
One client told me that she was worried about the ‘judgement’ that some people are experiencing in online meetings. What will their colleagues think of the state of the bedroom in their share house? Much as I discourage virtual backgrounds, they may have their uses. 

If you would like to get a copy of my graphic e-book, Virtual Beefs: and how to fix them, comment below. I’ll get a copy to you when it’s out.