Working from home during the pandemic has led to a new condition called ‘Zoom fatigue’, where employees are finding it difficult to cope with the number of video calls that take place during a working day.
New research by Stanford University has found that workers are being exposed to a series of negative psychological factors associated with video calls in the absence of physical meetings in a workplace.
Zoom and other platforms have been critical to business continuity during the last 12 months, enabling workers to continue communicating and collaborating.
However, the new study suggests that there could now be an overreliance on these tools and that employees may be suffering as a result.
“Videoconferencing is a good thing for remote communication, but just think about the medium – just because you can use video doesn’t mean you have to,” Professor Jeremy Bailenson noted.
The study listed a number of reasons why Zoom and similar apps can be fatiguing for workers.
They include excessive eye contact with multiple people and a higher cognitive load caused by trying to interpret non-verbal cues such as body language and gestures.
Video calls have also caused a mirror-like effect where people are constantly seeing themselves.
Bailenson added that the reduction in mobility, due to people being forced to sit and stay within a limited field of views, is also impacting cognitive function.
This is because research shows that the brain works better when people are moving more.
Bailenson advised employees to use the ‘hide self-view’ button and to sit further away during calls, perhaps with an external keyboard and monitor.
He also urged managers to set a rule where video is turned off for five to 10 minutes during a meeting so that everyone gets a brief rest.
With video conferencing apps being so central to remote working, better practices will be important for keeping employees happy and motivated.
Source:
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