What’s the worst thing you’ve witnessed in a Teams/Zoom meeting?

[purpleroses2]

I am ultra paranoid about online meetings, as I’ve witnessed a few mishaps:

1. A woman took a personal phone call and didn’t realise a colleague had left their mic on. She started slagging the whole team off and we could hear every word.
2. A man left his mic on and went to the toilet
3. Not me personally - but a friend was in a meeting where a woman left her cam on by accident and she had just got out of the shower. She then got dressed in full view of everyone on the meeting.

I wouldn’t dare do any of those things even near my laptop, just incase of an accident occurring.

Omg! This made me heave! Yuk!!

I only use teams for short meetings about my child (medical professions or ehcp meetings) and thankfully have never seen or heard anything gross, nor had any unfortunate mishaps myself (but I do try to make sure I have a blank wall behind me and a cup of water ready, have been to the loo etc before the call starts so I have less chance of a faux pas!)

I was waiting to be let into a Teams meeting and the dog (11 mths old) came in with yet another one of my gloves to chew (they are my yard gloves and smell of horse which is probably why she gravitates to them) I said to her "will you leave my fucking gloves alone, you annoying little fucker! Heard a snort and realised that just as I said it, the host had let me into the meeting... Luckily only 3 of us in the meeting and they found it funny (I was mortified however..)

@mindutopia I deliver project management courses as well as others. If you had done that on one of my courses you would be a legend! I would tell people the best teams mistake was a top hat ( and if someone knows how to do it please tell me) and The worsts are half naked people.
My top 3 teams/webex ones are

1. Someone joined my course 30mins before start and unfortunately had their camera on while getting dressed from naked. I tried to call out/ wave etc but she didn't notice me, I couldn't end the call as others may have joined and seen. Awkward.
2. So many aminal butt's but to be fair my dogs and cats occasionally make an appearance. My rule is you must show and introduce your pets.

3.i was delivering a course to a global company and A student in the far east had an epileptic fit on camera. No one else was in country but collectively managed to get hold of 999(country equivalent) get hold of her manager to get her address as she had said she lived alone . We were online when we saw paramedics arrive. She was very grateful and sent a thankyou email after being in hospital.

My worst teams is actually doing a training course where no one turns on their camera or comes off mute. I feel like im talking into the void!!

@TortoiseWhoLovesStrawberries in Covid we had a meeting (with a senior manager present, not just an informal colleague catchup) and a guy joined it out on a bike ride! The noise of the wind as he cycled was awful and our manager told him to mute himself, but I think was too gobsmacked to actually ask why he was out on a jaunt in the middle of the working day. After the call he messaged me and said he was on his way back from a sunbed session. He loved the Covid era and just doing his own thing.

I farted so loud (I was on mute) that Teams/Zoom asked me if I wanted to unmute

I was unmuted and each time one colleague in the call was trying to hold in laughter

A colleague was sharing her screen to a large project team but forgot to stop sharing when she finished presenting. She started to message me about one awful team member, forgetting everyone could see her screen. I spoke up and said 'we can still see your screen' before she wrote anything too horrible.

Don’t worry, I don’t think he was on mute, just speaking quietly so no one in the meeting heard him, but co pilot picked up on it 😱

One open period poverty meeting was hijacked by a random guy who played porn videos and the meeting lead didn't know how to kick him.

One time I fiddled with the settings and spent 30mins with a cat on my head

My sis joined an online parents evening dressed in the same colour as her background so was essentially just a floating head for all the meetings

My friend was a witness on a CVP (Cloud Video Platform) - similar to Teams, on an employment tribunal.
The employer’s solicitor was in her lounge or dining room. Cat jumped up onto a sideboard in the background and started to play with a glass plate with baubles (it was mid December) then smash- the plate slid off the sideboard. Cat looked into the camera with ‘not guilty’ look.

You're so funny.

Not that major really but a new guy started at my firm recently and I’ve had a couple of calls with him and he’s been vaping quite openly. This is professional services so highly paid highly qualified people. I thought this was really unprofessional but maybe I’m old fashioned. He’s not young, we are all experienced professionals.

Hmm, that wouldn't bother me although I can understand your feelings.

At least he wasn't putting a needle in his arm!

It just looks so grim and a bit stupid. Like you’re so addicted you can’t do a 30 min call without having a puff of this ridiculous substance. I just expected more of people who join my firm.

I had just contributed towards a workshop for my masters and forgot to turn my mic back off. Started playing David Rose clips 🤣 tutor had to stop the session. Never done that before and I now quadruple check all my settings 🤦🏼‍♀️

I think we should see a photo of the cat if you have one.

Parents evening

the parent was silently peeling potatoes

I must admit I had a 4 hour teams workshop once and it was boring as hell, so I put the laptop on the toilet seat and got in a nice bubble bath for half hour while still watching and listening, I did reach over and un mute myself a couple times when it came to us having to speak but the one time I clicked unmute my touch pad mouse hovered over the camera on button and I genuinely nearly shit myself, after that i turned the laptop away from me and quickly got out the bath and dressed and I've never done it since, not even risked doing anything like that again as I realise if that camera had of turned on I'd have likely been fired, not to mention the utter humiliation of everyone seeing me stark bollock naked of course. It was a heart stopping moment

Secondary school parents evening online. 5 min slots and you're automatically moved from one to the next. Most of the teachers are either obviously in a classroom or have a neutral background of a plain wall, bookshelf, fireplace etc. Except my DDs science teacher (male) who was in a darkly painted bedroom with a single bed made up with magenta coloured shiny bed linen in the background and camera angled so that what your eye was drawn to. Not sure why but I took a screenshot, I think in case I needed some evidence of something in the future! Just unreal. I appreciate that not everyone has a suitable private place in their house to join videocalls but if thats the case do parents eve from your classroom like about half of the other teachers did.

He left the school not long later - no idea why.

An international Zoom meeting, hundreds online for a technical lecture, an idiot fairly well known to the group had his phone propped up on the floor showing a door. He came out of the shower room dressed in only a small towel, laid the phone on the floor and proceeded to do press-ups while looking at the screen. All you could see was his gormless face moving back and forth and the soundtrack consisted of him wheezing and grunting. Could have been worse I suppose but he's now been banned from the organisation so we won't have to see that hideous exhibition again.

close up, under chin angle, of sloppy sandwich eating whilst talking

Tbh, that's great multi-tasking by the parent.

I attended a training seminar where some random started sharing pornhub and we were all staring at this big Penis on screen. All kicked out of the meeting with a big apology.

Does seem surprising that they didn’t leave their camera off, in that case!

No I think it was someone who wasn't supposed to be in the meeting at all had managed to join and share this. It was at the very start of covid before places copped on to the privacy issues with sharing the log in details. So I'd presume it was unfortunately a real image. Utterly horrific for everyone attending.