Businesses and organizations are increasingly relying on telecommunication apps for conducting meetings. Although these are very convenient solutions, they have led to seemingly endless meetings, and in turn, a new kind of burnout for employees and employers alike.
And while the ability to work from home is considered a sought-after work perk for many people, this new reality of daily online meetings along with the inability to physically disconnect from work has resulted in a new “workplace” stressor called Zoom fatigue or burnout. Likewise, workplace burnout isn’t new; this digital variety comes with its own set of idiosyncrasies.
Whether you’re a digital marketer or a corporate finance consulting professional handling a team of people and relying on Zoom for all things related to work, here are some tips to help ease your people’s Zoom fatigue, ensure their productivity, and promote a healthy and happy work-life balance for everyone.
Consider Other Types of Telecommunication
Online video conferencing is actually a new form of communication for many people. That being said, if you want to share information, consider phone calls, text messages, email, or messaging apps.
Remember that Zoom isn’t really practical for every little issue that arises in a remote working environment. It’s important that you rethink the essential tools required to keep your remote team connected, but don’t rely on Zoom too much.
Schedule Sufficient Breaks
Whenever possible, avoid back-to-back Zoom meetings so you and your team can have some time to decompress. This also applies to work-related phone conversations. It’s helpful to at least have 10 to 15 minutes of downtime between meetings so that you could fully wrap up one meeting before diving into the next.
Never Force Online Video Interactions
If you really must show your face to make sure that your team understands what you want to convey, you can make the meeting more relaxed by not requiring that your team show their faces all the time.
Allowing people to participate in Zoom meetings without having to show their faces could alleviate some of the pressure and stress. Seeing everyone on video twice or so daily is fine and must be encouraged, but never forced or required.
Consider Other Approaches to In-Your-Face Video
If you’re looking to show solidarity and need to see your employees from time to time as they work, consider alternative means to stay connected. For instance, some businesses enable their employees to see each other as they work from home in a side-by-side manner.
The way this works is that they view each other whenever they want using a wide-angle camera setup that’s off to the side, so it’s not focused on their faces. This is a more comfortable and relaxed way to leverage video and provide people with a continuous connection if they want it.
Remember That Life Sometimes Gets In The Way
Because of the covid-19 pandemic, some of your people are most likely juggling childcare or elderly parent care and work. Add to that the health scare we all face daily. This means that you need to be flexible in case things don’t play out according to plan when setting up and running Zoom meetings.
For example, if you suddenly see or hear children or pets in the background, don’t be annoyed or embarrassed. Instead, take it as a chance to connect with your team on a more personal level, within reason, of course.
While some of the suggestions above might not be easy to follow when you start implementing them, these could really help ease the feeling of exhaustion at the mere idea of another Zoom meeting. It is tiresome enough adapting to this pandemic-stricken reality, so make Zoom meetings a little easier on you and your team.