Surely being on camera for most virtual work meetings is now the standard?

[CantFindTheBeat]

I've just read a post where someone said that not wanting to be on video for a work Teams call whilst working from home was perfectly fine.

Surely this is no longer the case?

Obviously illness, rare WiFi issues and other and minor exceptions happen, but on the whole, don't most employers and managers expect people to be seen as well as heard these days?

We hardly ever bother with cameras unless we have externals or CEOs in our meetings.

We don't really put cameras on for internal meetings.

What sort of work do you do, @FuckStonewall?

I don't like cameras, I have mine turned off

I do think it's the norm. I don't think it should be.

I dont understand why people wouldn't go on camera.

I moved organisations (both public sector) and had been used to having camera on generally, then dialled in to the first team meeting at the new place camera on and was the only one so felt like a right tit and someone told me ‘we don’t really do cameras’
why didn’t I wait to see what others did first??! 🤦‍♀️

Some people are never on camera in my office, some people always are, some people are some of the time and not other times. No one has ever really voiced an opinion on it! Depends how big the meeting too, if it's a big one then 25 people on camera feels a bit unnecessary, especially if it's mainly a 'listening' meeting.

In my organisation it depends on the size of the meeting. In a small meeting (say 6 people or fewer) you'd have your camera on. In a large meeting it's fine to have it switched off unless you're the person talking or presenting.

It depends on the type of meeting. Where people are contributing (like team meetings), cameras on is the norm. Where it's something like a presentation with Q&A, most people will be camera off unless they're asking something. While I hate cameras myself, I do find it quite hard when you can't see anyone. I've given presentations before to blank screens and I find it really hard and you feel like you're speaking into a void.

I find that people who don't go on camera are those who are least productive.

It's distracting
screws the bandwidth
confidential stuff in my office
hate the blurry backgrounds and people's arms disappearing
Don't like my neck
Appearances benefit men more than women

Should I go on?

I don't understand why some people can't appreciate that others really don't like being on camera. But apparently some people really can't appreciate that. They are real and walk among us.

I guess that's true. I'm really thinking of meetings where you are expected to engage and take part.

No one in our organisation really goes on camera at all unless it's an external training call.

We're not allowed cameras on in the office in most areas (unless in a specific zone) so it's not really policy where we are.

I'm not sure how cameras on or off in meetings links to productive team members though?

@DontMakeMeShushYou

How is it different to being in a meeting room with people? Genuine question.

Same for us.

In my experience, cameras off in my organisation means that people are actively doing something else and not paying attention at all.

I keep mine on for 1-2-1s and small meetings. Off for training sessions and all staff calls. Simply no need otherwise, it uses lots of data and if people who aren't presenting have their cameras on it can be really distracting, although 'Focus on content' helps.

What would they do in a real meeting? Turn up with a paper bag on their head?

@bibbityboppityboo

Because in my company, being visible is the norm. People who regularly aren't on video are also the ones who are less productive. It's a pattern in my firm, doesn't mean it is in others.

Unless your usual meeting room is in your house, it's different in most ways.

I'm in my early 30s and when I started working in the corporate world, dial-in meetings (without video) were pretty common, even though we all had laptops with webcams. The question I have is why that's changed.

Personally, I prefer to have my camera off but I'll turn it on of I'm having to do a lot of speaking and the other people in the meeting have theirs on.

@mynameiscalypso

Ahh unfortunately I can definitely say we're all a bit guilty of that one, hard to fully focus on long calls sometimes when other work is calling. I see it a lot from upper management!

@CantFindTheBeat

I read your post as people without their cameras on are in general less productive, which I just found an odd link - I can understand the cameras off = less contributions on some team calls, but was wondering on the wider trend of cameras off = less productive in the entire work output, was actually is a thing.

In my company you're visible when on site with people, at home not really!

I think it's very much culteral and specific to the organisation. Where I work now, hardly anyone has thier cameras on - except for some specific meetings that require it.

How is it different to being in a meeting room with people? Genuine question.

I find it far more tiring being on camera than not. In a meeting room you have a thousand micro private moments. Moments where you can see no one in the room is looking at you. Tiny fractions of seconds where you don't feel on show, using the feedback of being able to see where everyone is looking. In those moments, I could (for example) bring my slipping bra strap back up, fidget against my chair to scratch my back, maybe just slightly shake my head to keep me alert.

On video I never know where anyone is looking as so I never get those micro moments. I feel 100% permanently on display and if I need to do any personal adjustments I must do them knowing someone might just be looking right at my camera feed at that moment.

It's pretty small, but I think the culmulative affect is quite large - when taken over a day which holds maybe 4-5 hours of meetings (on average).

In addition, in a meeting room I can gesture a bit more, change position a bit more. Maybe even stand up for a bit of it - depending on the meeting. The people I am meeting with can all turn heads, chairs etc to look at me - if that's right for the moment etc.

On camera my posture must be a bit more fixed so that my head and face are 'in frame' for the vast majority of the time. People cannot follow my gaze around a room (and I cannot follow theirs) so I must behave in a way that keeps my face within the small frame of camera.

I think that's quite an unnatural way to spend several hours a day and find I get achey and sore from trying to stay so still. On the phone but not on camera (for eg), I feel more free to wander over to the sofa in my office for some of the longer one-to-one type meetings. I find the freedom to move and gesture with my arms (even though no one is watching) means my thoughts flow a bit better etc.

No we never bother ever on teams meetings.

@BarryBlinder

Us too. Lots of people working remotely before, and very few had cameras on.

I imagine a lot of people didn't Skype or do virtual calls back then. Now I guess it's more a part of life.

I think being able to see each other, read non-verbal cues, identify engagement, comprehension etc is really helpful. It definitely helps me manage my team.