It’s 9 am; I have a meeting in five minutes. I haven’t so much as opened my laptop, and yet, I find myself exhausted. I am worn out, because like yesterday and the day before, most of my days have been spent in Zoom Meetings. I was experiencing, as I would later learn, what psychologists have termed “Zoom Fatigue.”
For the uninitiated, Zoom Fatigue is a neurological phenomenon in which individuals are more frequently fatigued while utilizing online platforms to meet, like Zoom. As Dr. Lee explains in her article “A Neuropsychological Exploration of Zoom Fatigue,” it appears that this is due to the additional stress we experience while communicating on these platforms. We understand how to communicate in-person, where we can employ body-language, tone, and other forms of communication. We’ve compensated for these losses on email or messaging platforms by incorporating new features like emojis. Online video platforms, however, haven’t had the opportunity to overcome their losses with new features. These new features will not be implemented for a while, and until then, we can’t stop working, so what do we do?
We’ve assembled a couple of tips, which can help ease online meetings’ stress- and hopefully- reduce fatigue for both employers and employees.
Tips:
Less Frequent Online Meetings:
If possible, lessen the number of online meetings by utilizing other communication methods, like email or phone calls. These methods will not fatigue employees as much and will provide them a break from constant online meetings.
Take breaks:
If these meetings are wearing on their participants, then taking breaks is an excellent method for restoring energy. This is less feasible for short meetings since succinct is the best method for achieving a similar goal. However, if a long meeting is necessary, scheduled breaks are essential.
Hide Cameras:
We tend to scrutinize ourselves more while in online meetings since we can see ourselves on screen. Switch to speaker view because it will hide all the screens beside the speakers.
Article Source:
Lee, J., MD. (2020, November 17). “A Neuropsychological Exploration of Zoom Fatigue.” Retrieved from https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychological-exploration-zoom-fatigue