I understand a lot of responses on this sub are very passionate, but I was hoping for something a little less abrasive, as I'd like to work here long term and help the team, but I also don't want to be a push over and it seems like this is a power play to test me.
For context:
I started this job not long ago and it's remote work. I'll have my camera on when needed, no issues there. I noticed some of the people on our team have selfie profile pics setup in email and on zoom, while others have the standard default blank pic unchanged from when you first login. Some people have pictures, but maybe of a pet, a car, a cartoon, etc.
My boss had one of my coworkers train me on some stuff today and the first thing they showed me how to do was change my profile picture. The coworker said that they initially didn't have one, but they asked everyone to put one, so they put a cartoon version of themselves up there. They said that management told them it was impersonal and they should replace it with a real photo of themselves, so I should do the same. I said I didn't have any photos on my workstation available at the moment and we continued on with training.
This interaction threw up red flags for me, as it seemed odd that 1. The supervisor had them tell me this, 2. They told me they were hassled about their profile picture experience and 3. We have a handful of team members and even a team lead that don't have their profile pictures set to these standards.
Can I change my photo? Sure. But I really don't want to end up in the same shoes as the person who was sent to unofficially require me to do things on managements behalf. To me, it sets an unspoken precedent that I'm easily controlled/ready to do things outside of requirements or the job description, it contributes to the isolation of the team members that don't follow picture guidelines and it sets me up to join “one side” vs “the other side” in instances like this to come. I didn't expect to already be thrown into office politics this quickly and it's starting to give me toxic flashbacks of workplaces that had these dynamics in my previous work history.
Maybe I'm looking too far into it, maybe it's just a photo. Is there anyway I can comply but also skirt the edge of the guidelines? I know a common response would be to get the requirement in writing, but let's be honest, that will throw up red flags and put a target on my back this early on, in managements eyes. They could easily make things more difficult for me if I'm too abrasive.
I hope you folks can see where I'm coming from and I appreciate any help given.