If I Hear the Words 'Zoom Fatigue' One More Time I'm Going to Lose It

Over the last 18 months, there have been a handful of things I've grown tired of hearing on repeat from enterprise technology firms. First are the constant reminders that COVID actually happened. The definition of work has changed forever, lots of us are working at home, we get it . . . let's move on. Second is the claim that use of video within the enterprise is the "new normal," a myth I tried to extinguish in my last article. And third is the fact that Zoom fatigue is being blamed for everything from mild cases of dry eye to complete lack of employee engagement and high workplace turnover.

Just this week in my LinkedIn timeline, I was treated to an interesting vlog on this (apparently) still emerging phenomenon. In this video, a video industry executive was explaining the dangers of Zoom video fatigue, while at the same time outlining how their company's video technology platform could somehow help. Which is the functional equivalent of recommending people lower their cholesterol by eating a steady diet of cheeseburgers. Man I love cheeseburgers. Anyway, I'm shocked the sheer duplicity of this marketing pitch didn't tear a giant hole in the space-time continuum and suck me straight in.

I mean, has anyone ever asked what Zoom actually did as a company to be blamed for all of this alleged fatigue? Within my circle of friends and family specifically, I know for a fact Zoom saved three weddings, two baby showers and a family reunion. And on the enterprise side, Zoom helped almost 450,000 businesses maintain continuity to the tune of 3.3 TRILLION minutes of meetings in one year. Sure, Zoom wasn't the perfect solution in a lot of those situations, but the company was there (some of the time at no charge) when the business world and the world in general needed them. The fact that Zoom is still getting condemned for single-handedly making people tired of business video proves that fairness is more of a guideline than a firm set of rules.

Let's also not forget the term "Zoom fatigue" implies no one ever gets MS Teams fatigue, or Google Meet fatigue, or Webex fatigue, or GoToMeeting fatigue. Personally over the last 18 months I have suffered from each of these, sometimes all on the same day. But back to the point of this article: the use of video to engage people, sell ideas and distribute content is here to stay. And at this point, your options for dealing with it are pretty straightforward—you can either manage your video time wisely because you're an adult who has choices, or you can spend the entire day staring at a webcam and blaming Zoom for the repetitiveness of your work life. But for those of you who choose the first option, I have three simple suggestions for helping you battle video overload.

#1: Break Your Own Cycle of Meetings - If you currently attend nine hours of daily video meetings, chances are good you had nine hours of in-person meetings per day back when you were still going into the office. Building a culture of meetings takes a village, and part of the responsibility for video fatigue falls squarely on the people who line up to attend meetings and events without ever questioning the use of their time. To reduce video load, try conducting an audit of your own schedule: decline meetings and events you're not getting any value out of—and shorten the overall length and frequency of meetings you lead. And for the risk-takers out there, try no-showing a video meeting or event one once in awhile and see if anyone notices.

#2: Become a National Park Ranger - If your passion or background allows it, and you are truly at the end of your rope when it comes to using video for work, a job change may be in order. So why not become a National Park Ranger? Per the job description on a popular employment site, National Park Rangers "assist visitors, conduct educational activities, perform emergency medical services, and protect the land from those who abuse it—without having to attend video meetings." I may have added that last part, but think about how many places there are to hide from video meetings in the wilderness. Worst case, you could just lay down in the woods and pile leaves on top of yourself.

#3: Embrace All of the Good Things Video Gives You - Of course video fatigue is real. But like everything else in life, the increased use of video in the enterprise comes with both negatives AND positives . . . and people don't talk nearly enough about the positives. Speaking only for myself, working at home via video has allowed me to save a minimum of 90 minutes per day in traffic on a good day, and up to 3 hours or more when the weather is bad. I also spend more time with family, travel less, show up on time to my kids' events, exercise regularly, and have re-engaged with hobbies and passions I gave up before Monica and Chandler got married.

Wrapping it Up

For me, video has not only re-energized my work life, but also allowed me to be more productive in my personal one—while performing at a higher level of engagement in both. And for what it's worth, I can't imagine ever going back to the way it used to be. For your situation specifically, do you believe video has been a positive or negative addition to your work life? Do you have any practical tips for avoiding video burnout that don't involve blaming Zoom? If so, feel free to put them in the comments below—and look for my next article soon. Thank you for giving me five minutes of your day, and have a great remainder of your week!

About Eric

Eric Rudolf is the VP of Go-to-Market (GTM) Programs for Brightcove, the industry leader in empowering organizations to touch audiences with video in bold and innovative ways. With over 20 years in SaaS-based Enterprise Technology, Eric has led GTM strategy for multiple Gartner-named leaders. You may connect with Eric on LinkedIn, or send him an email any time at [email protected].