Zoom Fatigue? Try Turning the Cameras Off

Turning cameras off during virtual meetings could reduce employee fatigue, according to a new study,

The study looked at the role of cameras in feelings of fatigue experienced after virtual meetings and whether these effects are stronger for certain employees.

Study co-author and University of Arizona Professor Allison Gabriel said that while there’s an assumption that employees will be more engaged if they have their camera on during meetings, there is a lot of self-presentation pressure associated with being on camera.

Having a professional background, looking presentable, and keeping children out of the room are some of the pressures.

103 employees of a health care services company were observed over a four-week period. Participants also completed a survey at the end of each workday to assess their fatigue, feeling voice and engagement.

The results showed that it is more tiring to have your camera on during a virtual meeting.

When participants had cameras on or were told to keep their cameras on, they reported more fatigue than participants not using a camera.

This fatigue correlated to less voice and less engagement during meetings.

Results also showed that people who had cameras on were potentially participating less than those not using cameras, which goes against the conventional wisdom that cameras are required to be engaged in virtual meetings.

Gabriel also found that these effects were stronger for women and employees newer to the organisation, likely due to added self-presentation pressures.

“Employees who tend to be more vulnerable in terms of their social position in the workplace, such as women and newer, less tenured employees, have a heightened feeling of fatigue when they must keep cameras on during meetings,” Gabriel said.

“Women often feel the pressure to be effortlessly perfect or have a greater likelihood of childcare interruptions, and newer employees feel like they must be on camera and participate in order to show productiveness.”

According to Gabriel, people shouldn’t make assumptions about engagement or productivity if someone chooses to keep their camera off.

She suggests employees should have the autonomy to choose whether to use their cameras.

“At the end of the day, we want employees to feel autonomous and supported at work in order to be at their best. Having autonomy over using the camera is another step in that direction.”

The study was published in the August issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology.