On line meetings. Fake backgrounds.

[UnfunnyJester]

Do most people show their real backgrounds or fake ones for online meetings?

We have branded company ones we use.

I usually use my real background but blurred. I have meetings with a whole range of people from colleagues to CEOs of national organisations - everyone uses different. The regional NHSE manager I met with on Friday had a fake room background on teams

It depends where they are. Working from home = fake background. Working from the office = probably no background, depending on the meeting and or how busy the office is

Branded ones for meetings, blurred one for one to ones

Real. Although it turns out colleagues thought it was fake for two years.

My home office is in a spare bedroom and you can clearly see the bed in the background, so I just blur it. It feels weird to be talking to a CEO in what appears to be 'my bedroom'.

I don't like the fake backgrounds because the minute you move, it distorts the shape of your head or face.

Real background here, either with laptop turned so I'm against some plain curtains or wall when I'm at home or I'm just in the office.

One regular participant blurs his background and it really doesn't make that much of a difference. We can all still see that he doesn't make his bed

Real. The fake ones give me a weird, kind of motion sickness feeling 🤢

Fake, with company logo. I move around a lot! So I could be on the sofa, a different sofa, desk, dining chair, breakfast bar. I don’t like staying in the same place all day so background is key!

Company background. If you don’t have one it’s blurred until you can get the company background working.

Doesn’t stop my cat video bombing for luffs from the rest of the team. Poser.

I normally use my real background, but very occasionally if it's meeting with just a couple of team members I may switch it to a fake background, like the aquarium or being on a space station.

We all use company backgrounds.

Very early on in covid people used to play with funny backgrounds but noone does now and I'd think it a bit unprofessional - also they go in and out of focus/flitter a bit more I think.

Failing that blurred background or the plain room one.

Fake so it looks like I’m in a swanky riverside penthouse …. rather than a suburban semi 🤣

Note … I know nobody really believes me!

Company one or blurred. I’ve noticed those wfh use the company one as you cannot tell they’re not in the office (they should be in more than they are!). They get away with it with senior team but the rest of the team they manage are getting increasingly pissed off.

Blurred or those fake office ones on teams. No desert islands or beach shots

Fake background all the way - one with an anonymous office .

Real mostly. It’s a small home office, all people see is a door and a shel with plants on.

That's odd @TeenLifeMum . If people are meant to be actually in the office how come meetings are over teams ? Surely a virtual meeting for someone who is office based only works if people have their own office ? No way could I sit next to someone having an online meeting along the row from me.

We're supposed to use the company one any time we're talking to external stakeholders, so I just leave it on all the time, although I've found that I've got quite a few tops that are a similar colour, so I have to not wear these or else I look like a disembodied head floating around in space.

I've seen a couple of people in what looks like old fashioned grand houses and I can't work out if they're fake backgrounds or their own homes.

Company branding if we're with external people.

Picture of the Lake District for internal onky mtgs.

Blake's 7 for one particular project team,...

Mine is fake

I don't want people seing where I live

We are not allowed our own wallpaper

It's either camera off or company backgrounds

Real - and the wall behind me is 'curated' for work purposes.

I have a couple of art prints related to my work, a bookshelf with relevant reading stacked up, as well as my own book for credentials, and some eye-catching knick-knacks on a shelf, which I find new clients seem to appreciate as it gives them something to comment on or ask about when we meet for the first time.

I have real, unblurred but most colleagues use either blurred or a fake one. I don't really get it. Seems a bit odd to me to be to the effort of hiding where you live.

I used to leave the real one in as seeing my study reflected back at me cheered me up. I’ve started blurring it recently as I’m working with a few people I dislike so much I don’t want them to see my house. Fake backgrounds are a bit 2020, and company-branded ones a bit arse-kissy if they’re optional.