Practical Tips to combat "Zoom Fatigue"

COVID-19 pandemic forces in-the-flesh life into the virtual realm of seemingly infinite Zoom meetings, more of us seem to be experiencing that same sense of lassitude. With social distancing and remote working measures being observed, colleagues, employee and Seniors are using platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp for virtual work meetings. Among the many legacies of COVID-19 will be the test of our endurance for spending time in front of screens. Remote workers are spending 31% more time in team meetings and 24% more time in one-on-one meetings than they were before the pandemic, according to a study.

The phrase “video fatigue” (“Zoom fatigue”) has entered the lexicon to capture the emotional exhaustion, anxiousness, and worry that accompany many of these virtual meetings.

How Zoom Fatigue Impacts an employee

Understanding the physical and psychological factors behind video fatigue is the first step in reducing its emotional toll. New data from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicate that 41% of employees working at home during the pandemic feel burnt out, drained, or exhausted from their work, so addressing video fatigue—an obvious contributor—could go far in buffering workers from the full force of rapidly changing habits and norms.

Additionally, constantly staring at our image on the screen creates self-consciousness and increases the pressure to perform, requiring more energy than a simple interaction. On a video call the only way to show we are paying attention is to look at the camera. But, in real life, how often do you stand within three feet of a colleague and stare at their face? Probably never. This is because having to engage in a “constant gaze” makes us uncomfortable and tired.

‘One reason may be that most video calling platforms will include the user’s own camera view on the call screen. It is likely that this is enhancing our self-awareness to a greater level than usual, and therefore resulting in us making additional self-presentation efforts than in face-to-face interactions in the real world.

‘Another explanation for fatigue may simply be from technical restrictions and our inability to be able to fully use the usual array of social cues and non-verbal communication. Within video calls, the bandwidth of social cues is much narrower, and we have to pay additional attention to others’ behavior to enable us to monitor social interactions effectively. These extra attentional efforts can become tiring over time.

-Elia Gourgouris Ph.D., Happiness & Corporate Wellness Expert

In person, we are able to use our peripheral vision to glance out the window or look at others in the room. On a video call, because we are all sitting in different homes, if we turn to look out the window, we worry it might seem like we’re not paying attention. Not to mention, most of us are also staring at a small window of ourselves, making us hyper-aware of every wrinkle, expression, and how it might be interpreted. Without the visual breaks we need to refocus, our brains grow fatigued. As a result, we feel uneasy because it’s hard to read people’s responses and shift our own behavior accordingly.

Finally, when we are already staring at a screen, it may be difficult to resist e-mailing, chatting, or finishing up our latest Power Point presentation—even though such multitasking puts more demand on our brains. In the worst case, the higher potential for multitasking during virtual meetings combined with asynchronous eye gaze creates a dissonance that can chip away at trust. Researchers at Stanford found that people who multitask can’t remember things as well as their more singularly focused peers.

We find video calls so draining: It is because Employee focus more intently on conversations in order to absorb information. Think of it this way: when you’re sitting in a conference room, you can rely on whispered side exchanges to catch you up if you get distracted or answer quick, clarifying questions. During a video call, however, it’s impossible to do this unless you use the private chat feature or awkwardly try to find a moment to unmute and ask a colleague to repeat themselves.

Such feelings may be magnified by technical glitches—lags and freeze-ups—that underscore the fragility of connection, as well as the sudden loss of the people and boundaries we had before.

Translational research on the transition to working from home after COVID-19 may give us definitive answers and guidance for the future. In the study, people who worked no more than 10% of the time at home before the pandemic versus at least 30-48 hours per week after the lockdown were surveyed over 4 weeks to discern their day-to-day experiences with remote work.

Preliminary findings suggest the average frequency of video meetings attended per week affected respondents’ overall experience of remote work. Higher average numbers of hours spent in virtual meetings per week correlated with markers of general stress and impaired performance, as well as a lower preference for working remotely in the future.

Leaders, meanwhile, know from experience that without the need to be present in various locations, the volume of videoconferences can snowball. Already stressful meetings may become amplified and so, too, the weight of decision-making. For people uncertain about job stability, videoconferencing may increase the sense of urgency to be “always on” and responsive, leading to further depletion.

If this all sounds like bad news, don’t despair. The good news is that video fatigue is a solvable problem when organizations educate employees about solutions to common triggers.

Here are some practical strategies that help to make video calls less exhausting. This requires a joint involvement of an individual employee and HR or policy makers of any organization.

Avoid ad hoc zoom meetings – try to avoid quick as much as possible, First prepare the agenda and circulates among employee and then have meetings, if necessary. It save time and energy.

Share short videos and other visuals, rather than holding a meeting: sometimes it seems not necessary to have zoom meeting. If you want to give one-way communication then employee or Senior can Share short videos and other visuals, rather than holding a meeting

Shift the camera. Positioning your camera off to the side instead of straight ahead could help you feel less self-conscious and distracted, particularly in group meetings.

Have a break- “When anyone find it plagued by a relentless stream of video calls, it’s important to take some time, even if it’s a few moments, to step away and disconnect.

 Shortening meetings by 10 minutes allows time for breaks to recharge. If possible, go outside for a brisk walk. During long calls, take short visual breaks by occasionally looking away from the computer or minimizing the video window.

Meeting Agenda -Precise and Precision: Organizing an agenda in the format of a set of questions to be answered helps to identify essential attendees, maintain focus throughout a meeting, and evaluate whether goals have been met.

Define policy on video conferencing rules and Guidelines. Setting guidelines, such as having everyone put away his or her phone, minimize browsers, and shut down e-mail programs, can prevent multitasking and improve etiquette overall. Participants should mute their microphones unless speaking.

Be flexible about who needs to have their camera on/off and encourage people to be aware of when being on video works or doesn’t work for them. That said, life happens. Unguarded moments—e.g., children or pets wandering by—can serve as reminders that we’re all in the same boat and, by doing so, strengthen team connection.

As the uncertainties of COVID-19 persist, the question of how to use video to foster a sense of togetherness without mental exhaustion is receiving long-overdue attention. HR professionals will be invaluable in shaping this priority issue so that we not only get through this adversity but also emerge from it with new approaches for the future.

Zoom Fatigue can be cured by following suggestion and also do exercise and meditation on personal front.

ZOOM* is indicative word for all online Video Calls & virtual Business meetings.

Abhinav Sharma -HR Advisor, HR Strategy Coach, Speaker, Talent Acquisition Expert

Adroit & qualified MBA with specialization in Human Resource coupled with 15 years of synergized experience in the entire domain of Business Management Concepts with specific emphasis to HR arena. he has developed develop and implement administrative policies and strategies for optimizing resource utilization, enhancing operational efficiency, increasing productivity  for many organization.

He is providing leveraging to the industry by his techniques to develop executive-level strategy, organize for innovation, and discover talent acquisition and retention strategies.