Am I the only person who is tired of Zoom calls?

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Have you noticed that you have been overeating, feeling sweaty, or fidgety? Are you noticing that you are experiencing more headaches, and that your eyes are feeling strained? At the end of your work at home day, do you feel more exhausted than usual? What you might be experiencing is Zoom fatigue, and according to a recent study, you are not the only one.

The pandemic ushered in a whole new way of communicating with each other. Zoom, is now the standard way of conducting meetings, interviews, and even holiday gatherings with family members.

Virtira Consulting, a company focused on increasing remote productivity for companies, has released the results of its latest workplace study – “The Webcam Survey: Exhausted or Engaged?” This 22-page report reveals the negative impact on employees as they navigate excessive time in front of webcams.

If you get a chance, I would definitely recommend you taking a look at the study, but in this article, I am going to provide for you the summarized version of the findings. Among the revelations is that nearly half of professionals working remotely (49%) – which translates to 32 million individuals – reported a high degree of exhaustion as a direct result of numerous daily video calls. It is now being referred to as “Zoom fatigue,” and it is described as the exhaustion that stems from a combination of increased meetings and the pressure to have webcams on for all of them.

The study also found that 63% of remote workers are participating in more meetings online than they would have in the office, with 30% spending 2-3 hours daily meeting on camera. Well-meaning employers attempting to raise morale by hosting online happy hours, pizza parties, not realizing that this has compounded the increased time in front of webcams.

There has also been insight provided on the high degree of anxiety and self-consciousness experienced by the younger Zoom-focused work culture. Respondents reported mental and emotional concerns as they spend an unprecedented amount of time in front of webcams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other key findings include:

• 61% of respondents indicated that all meetings they attend are conducted on video
• 65% indicated that being on video is best for team engagement, but only 11% of their video meetings are being used for that purpose
• More than 25% feel peer pressure to have their cameras on, even if not required
• 58% of self-identified introverts and 40% of extroverts reported on-camera exhaustion

Up to 80% of businesses are reporting they will move towards fully remote or a hybrid/flex model. It is important that employers understand how these policies may impact employee morale, mental health and productivity

Another study reported responses from the 18-24 age group. 64% commented on the following factors:

• Embarrassment over what can be seen in their backgrounds

• Self-consciousness over physical appearance on camera
• Feelings of peer pressure to have cameras on
• The fear of embarrassing disruptions by family members or pets at home
• Being constantly distracted by other meeting expressions or movements during the meeting

With this in mind, employers need to shift their policies and have candid conversations with their teams about how many meetings they are having and how they feel about meeting on video. As an employee, there are some ways that you can ease your Zoom fatigue:

• Leave 10-15 minutes between calls. This gives you time to move away from your screen and take a break. Use this time to get outdoors or move around your home.
• Stick to your meeting start time and end times. Setting boundaries is always helpful.
• You don’t want to be seen; there are settings that allow you to hide yourself.
• Get some remote headphones or earbuds. This way you can turn off your video and walk around. It is a great way to get things done, and still be part of that important meeting.
• Every now and then, just arrange an audio call. Phones have been used for years and have been an effective way of communicating. You will be surprised at how many people will welcome this suggestion.

It is understandable why you are feeling what you are feeling, but now it is time to do something about it. As mentioned earlier, if you are interested in the full study and executive summary, it can be downloaded online, at https://info.virtira.com/webcam-survey.