Not a Reason for Return to Office
With the sweeping changes in US Government positions to return to office, it’s just a matter of time before additional Corporations follow suit. This is in addition to Amazon, AT&T, Boeing, Dell Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, UPS, and The Washington Post, which have already implemented an RTO mandate. And though Tech vs Humans is very much against RTO, we also want to voice concerns about constant Zoom calls and how to resolve the main challenges with them.
According to Stanford University, there are four causes of Zoom fatigue (and we feel every one of them).
- Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense.
- Solution: Reduce the size of the window, making it less likely that you’ll focus on eye-contact
- Risk: Reducing the size of the window can help, but it can also tempt you into trying to multitask. Don’t.
- Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing.
- Solution: Most applications now have a hide “self-view” option. Use it.
- Risk: Without a self-view, there is a risk that you’ll forget you are on camera.
- Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility.
- Solution: Invest in a Bluetooth headset and be ok with turning your video off during calls to move around.
- Risk: Video calls usually require video, so please ensure you have a shared understanding with your audience about when you can or cannot be on video.
- The cognitive load is much higher in video chats.
- Solution: Force breaks in your day or add audio-only calls if breaks are not an option.
- Risk: Audio calls aren’t the same as video calls in terms of connection, so you’ll want to ensure you mix up how often you do audio vs. video so you don’t lose that connection.
References and Resources
The Official List of Every Company’s Back-to-Office Strategy by the Hubble Team; Type: Article
Stanford researchers identify four causes for Zoom fatigue and their simple fixes by Stanford University; Type: Article