Oops! What you thought was a Zoom background of a dank cavern is actually colleague’s bedroom

When colleague and Database Manager Liz, 43, joined the Zoom call, you thought she had turned over a new and playful leaf. After all, her self-expression in the office environment is normally limited to a mousemat that says ‘I’ll be there in a prosecco’. 

Moreover, the use of Zoom backgrounds is common enough in your work-from-home set up, with co-managers Morris, 54, and Deborah, 50, electing to make the latest round of lay-offs from a sunny desert island, with crystal blue waters. 

You initially thought that Liz was just joining in with the fun, until a comment from her on Wednesday piqued your suspicion.

Liz, whose desktop background at work is a chihuahua in a sombrero, said “Sorry about the clanging, everyone. My Tesco food order is being dropped down one can at a time.”

Indeed, it is now becoming clear, from the echoey feedback and dripping sounds that punctuate every conversation, that Liz, a long-term employee, is not using a pre-made background, and actually beds down in what appears to be a dank underwater cavern, presumably located somewhere underneath the city.

“We couldn’t possibly comment on where a member of our team may or may not live” said Pearlescent Rug Systems, the company you work for, late last night.

Liz herself has made little mention of her unusual boudoir, except to occasionally say, “Sorry about the mess!” when a dark rat-like shape scurries across the screen. She has also previously noted that she is embarrassed by her bookcase, which you see contains such tomes as ‘Underground Dwelling for Dummies’ and ’50 Shades of Grime: Interior Design With Slime’.