How video calls kill creativity

What happens when your organisation disappears altogether? How do the former employees feel? Recent collapses in the banking sector brought this to my mind, although the sight of Paperchase stationery shops (among others) disappearing from British town centres has been a stark visual reminder of what happens when businesses die.

After last week’s newsletter, when I mentioned how the Kübler-Ross change curve is a useful tool to think about how sudden firing affects people, a reader directed me to a fascinating piece of research on what happens to staff when their employer ceases to exist due to a bankruptcy or other events.

Its authors call this “organisational mourning”. Eliana Crosina from Babson College and Michael G Pratt from Boston College studied ex-employees of Lehman Brothers and discovered a common framework of reactions — starting with “experiencing the death event” as the business folds. It’s part of the broader coping process we all go through after a stressful event. It stayed with me while we recorded this week’s podcast, delving further into the effects of mass lay-offs.

Last week we focused on how to do “good” firing, and on supporting the people who are let go. Now we look at what comes next for corporate culture after a mass lay-off, and for the individual staff members who are, in the words of Harvard Business School professor Sandra Sucher, in shock. It’s like “walking into kind of a wind tunnel where all of a sudden everything is being blown around you and people are trying to figure out what is happening here”.

For today’s main item, Emma Jacobs joins us to consider the impact that all of these video calls have had on our work lives. How do you feel about video calls? Do you wish they were phone calls — or even just emails — or do they help you feel connected when you work remotely? Tell us what you think at workingit@ft.com. (Isabel Berwick)

Top stories from the world of work:

1. Why does no one see organisational crisis coming? From Silicon Valley Bank to BBC, all too often senior managers fail to consider the worst-case scenario.

2. Tech sector job cuts continue to pile up. This week Amazon said it would lay off a further 9,000 workers, while Just Eat Takeaway cut jobs for 1,700 couriers.

3. The world’s population is ageing. This underscores the need for policies to keep older people at their desks, writes Pilita Clark.

4. How do I re-enter work after several years of retirement? Jonathan Black, director of the University of Oxford’s careers service, shares his advice.

5. Women mark 50 years trading at the London Stock Exchange. In this visually rich story, the first female traders recount their first days on the floor.

The demise of the telephone call

In May, Microsoft will be adding a new feature to its Teams meetings: 3D avatars. According to The Verge, “If you don’t feel [ready] for video or you need a break from constant calls then you can swap in a 3D avatar that will animate based on your vocal cues alone — no camera needed at all.”

When I read this, a wave of fatigue rinsed through my body. Because you know what’s better than an avatar? A blank screen. I thought this the other day when I logged on early for a Google hang-out and tried out various filters (puppy, bunny) and backdrops (log cabin in an autumnal wood, a beach). Did I really want to discuss Credit Suisse’s job cuts looking like a disembodied strawberry? I returned to my boring old face.

The more serious limits of video calls were raised recently in an FT story on Silicon Valley Bank’s working-from-home culture. “It is harder to have a challenging call over Zoom. It makes it harder to challenge management,” said Nicholas Bloom, a professor at Stanford University.

Personally, I don’t believe remote working is wholly to blame for SVB’s implosion. However, I do worry about the proliferation of video meetings and the demise of the telephone call. I can’t tell you the number of times a calendar invite lands in my inbox blocking off half an hour for a Zoom meeting, which should be a phone call.

First, video calls have a tendency to turn conversations into drawn-out affairs. Even if you don’t use the full half-hour, the diary entry nudges you towards lengthening the conversation. Second, it diminishes spontaneity.

Three years ago this week, the world went into lockdowns, and white-collar workers retreated to their homes. Over the months, one of the biggest complaints I heard was that being confined to our kitchens and bedrooms meant we lost out on natural, unplanned interactions — those small chats in the corridor, bumping into someone you don’t normally work with and catching up over coffee. These were not just a social benefit but also good for creativity, sparking ideas.

But even when we are in the office, there is a tendency to Zoom instead of phone. Have you tried calling someone for an unscheduled work-related call? They are either freaked out by the random request to chat and let it ring off or else are locked into another dratted video call.

May I humbly suggest that if you find yourself reaching for an avatar to conceal your exhausted face, perhaps you look for an alternative: the telephone. (Emma Jacobs)

Last week Emma wrote about the companies offering in-house virtual and on-site psychologists to help staff deal with problems at work and elsewhere. But, as Emma reported, the perk may not be right for every employee or every workplace. Here’s what our readers had to say:

AndrewKin raised the idea that improving employees’ wellbeing is good for business.

I think that the more the employees are mentally available to accomplish their task, the better the concentration and the result. This solution is no crazier than the fashion for office massages.

MAW voiced concerns over whether in-house therapy gets to the root of what causes issues in the workplace.

Placing a band-aid over a broken arm if I ever did see one

While Coyne shared some of the scepticism echoed elsewhere in the comment section, the reader also recognised the benefits for managers.

It is immensely challenging for a manager to try to help staff with mental health issues, manage the team’s workload, and deal with one’s own personal challenges. This is not an issue unique to banks and law firms. What does one do with staff whose personal lives affect their ability to work? Poor mental health does appear to be worsening.

A window into where you work

This week we’re featuring the aesthetically appealing office of Ernesto Lugo from Miami, Florida — who also shares some recommendations to upgrade your work gear.

I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the benefits of remote work since 2018, which is when I also started working on optimising my workspace. This is its final form. I love it. Beyond the fancy stuff (standing desk from fully, Aeron chair from Herman Miller, or the BenQ screenbar) one item that has made it through all iterations is the one seen at the bottom left of the desk. It’s called “The Anchor,” an under-the-desk headphone stand from Elevation Lab that sells for $12. I use it to hang Sony’s WH-1000XM5 noise cancelling headphones. They get along well!

How do you feel about where you work? Is it awe-inspiring or could it use an upgrade? Send a photo of your workspace and a brief description to workingit@ft.com and we may feature your submission in the next newsletter.