Many families and workplaces are continuing to rely on virtual meetings or family webcam hangouts. This kind of social interaction can be mentally tiring, so it’s important to alleviate stress to keep that fatigue at bay. You also blink less when staring at a screen than you would in a face-to-face meeting, research suggests, which means your eyes are more likely to become irritated and dry. From fewer non-verbal cues to the lack of visual breaks and staying hyper-aware, here is why extensive video conferencing is taxing on the brain. If you’re feeling Zoomed-out, there’s nothing wrong with suggesting a quick phone call for your last meeting of the day.
On top of that, video and audio calls make us miss out on crucial nonverbal cues, such as hand gestures, body posture, and facial expressions. Maybe that’s why 76% of professionals prefer face-to-face meetings over video or conference calls, according to Doodle’s 2019 State of Meetings report. If the thought of giving your full attention to 10 people all eager to talk at once makes you want to flee to a remote island—you might have meeting fatigue (AKA “Zoom fatigue,” if you’re meeting virtually). When using Zoom or any video conferencing technology, this involves having to process movement through a screen and often keeping your body still and in view of the camera, which can overall lead to fatigue.
Avoid Isolation
And while remote working seems like the dream flexible job — not having to join the rush-hour commute, no office distractions, and tons of money saved on overpriced lunches, it can also be challenging in its own right. In fact, once the novelty wears off, many remote workers often feel stretched, non-productive, or struggle to find a work-life balance. While virtual instruction was once viewed as a flexible option, it has recently become a staple of our academic and professional lives. By all means, still have these meetings for those who want to socialize and catch up with their co-workers, just don’t make everyone obligated to join. While, yes, scheduling fun meetings with your team can be a great stress reliever at the end of a long work week, sometimes it can have the exact opposite effect.
Changing your meeting habits in a work-from-home environment may make your Zoom calls less intimidating and more manageable. Proactively finding Zoom fatigue solutions will keep your remote team energized, engaged, and https://remotemode.net/ motivated while working from home. If you are looking for virtual meeting best practices, then we recommend recording your Zoom calls. When working remotely, employees may feel pressured to join every single meeting.
Hide Your Self View
Also, try to have group meetings instead of multiple calls if the same issue has to be discussed. There is no down time, you do not get remote working fatigue time to unplug from work because you are working from home. Home is your office, your office is your home, and there are no boundaries.
Unfortunately, organizations treat these issues as day-to-day challenges, instead of recognizing their strategic nature and addressing them strategically. At heart, these problems most often stem from organizations transposing their “office culture” norms of interaction to working from home. That just doesn’t work well, since virtual communication, collaboration, and relationships function very differently than in-person ones.
Not taking breaks outside of the house
Setting up a professional workspace can draw a divider between the home space and office space, reinforce boundaries, and improve productivity. Many companies now cover the costs of these setups, so be sure to take advantage of existing home office stipends or check with your employer for options. If you belong to a marginalized group, it might be harder to advocate for yourself. In some instances you might need to find other ways to manage your stress and fatigue like setting boundaries on screen time outside of work hours or making time for self-care. It can also feel awkward to see your own face during a meeting, and seeing yourself could cause you to change the way you act, according to Rhiannon Evans, a social scientist at Cardiff University. “All day, I see myself interacting with people,” Evans said, adding, “It definitely consumes a lot more energy.”