Since the pandemic, some companies have replaced phone calls with video calls, requiring their employees to have their video cameras on for every call. Video calls are great for an introductory meeting when working with someone for the first time. But video calls for every meeting seems overkill. These companies have assumed video calls are superior to phone calls and an act as an equivalent replacement to in-person meetings. I think these companies have made, consciously or subconsciously, a poor decision about the role and importance of video calls in our work environment because they didn’t ask the right questions and or challenge their assumptions.
In the book, Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, authors Chip and Dan Heath talk about how our brains naturally get disrupted by an array of biases and irrationalities when making decisions, and how we can use techniques to make better quality decisions. If these companies had used two of the Heath brother’s principles when considering the use of audio vs. video calls, I believe they would often have arrived at a different conclusion. The two principles are “Find someone who’s solved your problem” and “Reality test your assumptions.” …
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Stephanie Lang 