How To Combat Zoom Fatigue While Working From Home

Instead, the researchers hope that employers will use the results to create standard policies that protect everyone from Zoom fatigue. They could require one day per week to be video call-free, require 10-minute buffers between meetings, or carefully consider what tool to use for a meeting. Sometimes, video conferencing is the best tool because it offers auto-captioning, remote working fatigue screen sharing, or a social presence. It’s even worse in one-on-one meetings, when your colleague’s face appears so large on the screen, it’s as if they are standing less than two feet away. Video conferencing tools have become the default platforms for socially distanced human interaction, especially for many people who once worked in offices.

The consequences of Zoom exhaustion affect a person’s health, well-being, and ability to perform their work effectively. On the other hand, we can define Zoom fatigue as a collection of physical and psychological consequences. They arise from communicating for long periods over Zoom or another video platform, such as Microsoft Teams or Google Hangouts, even FaceTime. Naturally, such a high number of daily interactions can leave you feeling drained and exhausted.

What Is Zoom Fatigue?

For instance, pedal bikes to promote physical activity or standing desks to help with alertness. Having nutritious snacks and a large water bottle within reach can encourage healthy habits and prevent detours, as well as make you feel physically better. While colleagues in traditional offices tend to have similar working environments, virtual coworkers can have vastly different home office spaces. Each work from home setup is unique, and the cause of a virtual work slump may be the result of an element of the environment.

This will help you to clear your mind and refocus your energy on the tasks ahead. Oom fatigue, also known as virtual meeting fatigue, is an increasingly common problem amongst those who work from home. The term “Zoom fatigue” is derived from one of the most used video conferencing platforms, Zoom.

Motivational fatigue

This could be just a box by the side of the table to place work items in, and that you open every morning to mark the start of work. Before and after a meeting get up from your desk, move around a bit to mimic the walking to and from meetings, and try to build one no-meeting day into your working week. Build time into your working day for casual chat that is not work-related.

• If you’re on a call with five people, you may feel like you’re in five different rooms at once.
• Setting boundaries, or letting people know where your needs and limits are, can often be stressful at first but will be well worth it.
• She also has the flexibility to take medication or rest as necessary.
• Taking the necessary steps to clear your mind and your workspace are great ways to better manage the stress that comes with constant Zoom calls throughout the workday.
• While being able to manage work remotely and safely keep in touch with friends and family is important, feeling as if you spend your life online can be overwhelming.