By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business
The latest battle in office life may be over whether or not to keep the camera on during virtual meetings.
One woman who works at a New York-based nonprofit told CNN Business she received an HR complaint in August for the first time in her career because she kept her camera off during virtual work meetings. Shortly after, she said she received another HR complaint for the same reason.
“I was on a call with about 15 employees and [the speaker] said everyone should have their camera on because it’s company policy and part of our culture now,” said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of company retaliation. She said she has long disliked being in front of a camera, whether it’s for pictures or videos, and the meetings only added to that discomfort. “I told them being on camera causes me anxiety and didn’t turn it on. I eventually got a doctor’s note.”
Although she is still required to keep her camera on, she now sits mostly out of frame with only her shoulder showing — something her company said is acceptable. But she feels this makes things even more awkward. She is currently looking for a new job.
She’s not alone in wrestling with the new normal of constant video calls. In interviews with CNN Business, several workers described how leaving the camera on in meetings made it harder to focus on their work, sparked feelings of frustration about having to stay in one place for long periods of time, and created some discomfort about broadcasting their living situations to others. Yet workers can also feel pressure to leave the camera on, whether it’s because of an explicit request from the company to do so, or because of the perception — refuted by one recent study — that they’re less productive and engaged if they have it off.
Lydia Mack, a Los Angeles-based copywriter for brands and startups, said she keeps her webcam off during calls with clients and co-workers because she can concentrate better that way. But she’s found there are downsides to this approach, too. “If it’s a team meeting and I’m the only one with my camera off for an extended period of time, it can also be a distraction [for others] and leave them wondering if I’m even at my computer, heard the conversation in its entirety, and so on.”
The rise of on-camera meetings — and misconceptions about it
After the pandemic hit, video conferencing services including Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams and Skype emerged not only for virtual meetings and classroom lessons but happy hours, costume parties, church services, brunches, book clubs and dates. But as lockdowns continued, more people experienced exhaustion from virtual meetings, a phenomenon often called Zoom fatigue.
Allison Gabriel, a professor at the University of Arizona, co-authored a study that suggested appearing on camera may contribute to the feeling of Zoom fatigue. The study also found more women experience webcam fatigue.
“Women tend to have higher self-presentation costs than men and are likely to feel heightened pressure to demonstrate competence by appearing extra vigilant on camera,” Gabriel said. “Additionally, as women took on disproportionate childcare demands compared to men during the pandemic, they are more likely to have kids in the background, which could unfortunately call into question their ability to …….