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?

Honestly, my meetings are usually a complete waste of time. So I can have my camera on, and struggle to not fall asleep, or have it off and either just carry on working or use the time to tidy the lounge or something. These are hour long compulsory daily meetings where we just share any problems with the work that we are having. I rarely have any problems, and my work is so specific to me, I'd rather raise it with my manager privately individually than take up 15 people's time, but others obviously dont take that approach.

Its the less productive people who go on camera with us. The ones which want to be seen aren't necessarily the ones who are producing the most.

I'm happy to be on camera so I can't tell you from first-hand experience. However, there are likely to be lots of reasons why it feels different and people don't like it.

• Because you don't like seeing yourself on camera (lots of people don't like having their photo taken for example)
• Because you can't tell whether someone is looking at you or at something else in a virtual meeting in the same way as you can face-to-face
• Because you can't look people properly in the eye when you're talking to them in a virtual meeting

For lots of people it feels awkward. Not the same as being face-to-face with all the social cues that would bring but also not the impersonality of a telephone conversation for example. A kind of halfway house that is both and neither at the same time.

I work for a large exam board.

Same as being recorded and hearing your voice back is awful.

Well, if by "real meeting", you mean face-to-face, then that is an entirely different situation. Interacting in person and interacting through a computer screen are different and not everyone is comfortable doing both. Turning the camera off is a way taking control of a situation you are uncomfortable with.

No cameras ever. Only with my manager for 121s..

What's the difference from being on a meeting room and switching off for a bit thinking about your todo list when others are updating on topics not related to you?

My husband wfh ft and very rarely has his camera on and nor do any of the people he works with ( multinational ).

We usually have cameras on for small team meetings or meetings with people from other departments. Once it hits about 10 attendees we turn cameras off.

Occasionally I don't put it on if I haven't put on a makeup or brushed my hair but we all do it so rarely that nobody ever comments on it.

Since I started my job about three years ago I think I've had my camera on once. I'm perfectly productive, thank you.

I've just changed jobs and my new temp all have cameras on but my old team never had cameras on. I prefer cameras off

Private legal sector. For internal meetings cameras off wfh or not, thank God

Internal meetings - no cameras required, we all know what each other looks like !

External attendees - camera on unless external attendee has theirs off.

Thats the general rule where I work.

I have several teams meetings a day and never have my camera on. Some colleagues always do, some do occasionally, others never do. It’s not mandatory and we have never been asked to.

I agree and hate it when people have cameras off, it makes you look lazy and disengaged and I always assume they’re not listening. I work in a comms type environment though.

My DP is more finance and they are cameras off 100% of the time. So it does differ!

Unless there are IT issues we generally have cameras on in smaller meetings (up to 6ish people) at my current place but don’t have them on in department meetings because otherwise they end up freezing etc. This is a workplace where photography is banned as well - we just need to have a background on our video. At my old job people hardly ever had camera on though.
I don’t mind having my camera on but I also don’t make an effort to stay particularly still/ in frame and I’m happy to get up and plug my laptop in etc whilst on camera.

I always have my camera off, for all the reasons already very well given by @BalanceMeHumours

I hate cameras, ther eisnr a single photo of my wedding day for example, and have always struggled a little with phone calls. Teams is my idea of hell.

No problems in person, often speak to rooms of between 10 - 500 people for over an hour, or deal with small meetings with emotions running high etc. Very good at communicating in writing too. But video calling nope nopedy nope nope.

A very big difference is that it can be recorded and you don't know who's watching.

Mostly cameras off. It's not different to a big group phone call. Had Skype at work pre-Covid so not a new thing.

I also hate it when you can see others in the meeting (with cameras on obviously) clearly getting up to other things rather than paying attention as you can see them reading and typing.

Always been cameras on in my company, long before the pandemic. Our parent company has a cameras off culture and the participation rate in meetings is very low: it’s patently obvious that the majority of people are doing something else. I always have my camera on (unless I’m not really paying attention and doing something more interesting instead…)

I managed to run multi million £ government projects with no camera, that exceeded expectations and fully delivered numbers under budget and on time.

Perhaps it is you that don't work, but do not assume we are all as lax as you are without a camera on us.

I work in local government. We tend to have cameras on at the start of a meeting as everyone says hello, then most people turn them off as the meeting starts properly. However, most people will have cameras on if they are presenting / talking for a while/ taking questions.

One to one meetings/ calls are usually with cameras on.

I think it's also dangerous to assume that participation in meetings = being more productive!

My team are camera people, and anyone new has been fine with it. I don't mind if others prefer to have cameras off, although in our team it just works really well this way.

But if you were in a meeting in the office you'd be visible so what's the difference to being on camera?

You may not like the blurred background filter but it is there so you can keep your background out of sight.