To think mandatory video calls is a ridiculous request?

[Lizzie523]

After nearly a year of working from home our manager has requested we all turn our cameras on for every daily team meeting (which is every day).

I can't say what my colleagues reasons are for turning theirs off some days, but I tend to do it on days my mental health isnt great or I've had a terribly sleepless night due to the stress of this whole situation. Probably once or twice a week. They are arguing we should appear like we were in the office - but in the office we got on with our work and were not having a daily meeting or sitting in front of all our co workers faces.

The meetings are usually pointless check ins where no one has a thing to say. It is always the same extroverts talking about personal stuff. The fact the videos on is now mandatory because they say so has annoyed me quite a bit. AIBU?

That is just grim @ragnorocks

Does it not make you think of leaving?

Really? Just get on with it - you're at work
Exactly that. What difference does it make to people seeing you in the office?

Or is it that people associate working from home with not making effort to wash their hair and bother with make up and do show think it gives them a right to demand not to be seen.

Working from home when otherwise in an office is only to ensure health safety, it's not a mean to lower standards because it makes life easier.

Wow you have daily meetings with your boss.
We have been working from home since March and haven’t had 1 meeting.
We can count the amount of emails we’ve had from our boss on my fingers and everyone of them is a moan that we are doing something wrong, and the only phone calls with him he is all full of doom and gloom for the future.
What makes it sad is we work for a communication company!

I don’t see the need for video meetings they just put more strain on the broadband network which in turn could cause more outages in service.

Where I work, you can't insist on it. People may have relatives or children in the same room who haven't consented. Or their living situation may be such that they are uncomfortable about it (not everyone can get backgrounds to work).

Inquietant- It's weird isn't it?! I keep thinking is it me, aibu??!! It's just so pointless.
I don't know , just got to suck it up I guess and I'm glad to have kept a job tbh

Working from home when otherwise in an office is only to ensure health safety, it's not a mean to lower standards because it makes life easier.

And what if you work permanently from home, like I and many others do?

Tbh I can only assume that people who talk about "standards" when working in an office are from somewhere pretty backwards. Every modern office I've worked in has had a casual dress code. My DH works in finance and his office is also casual.

I don't like it when people have their camera turned off. I may as well be giving updates to a wall.

I think with mental health there are two sides to this. I know what you mean about not wanting it on if I'm having a low day, because I want to hide it from people. BUT that means, well, it's being hidden from people! So if people don't have their cameras on it's far far less likely that someone will notice that someone else looks a bit low, and be able to offer support.

So if it's done for the right reasons, I think it's a good thing. Seeing someone's face/body language is a much better gauge of whether they are ok..

I can see both sides of this. As a HE lecturer its extremely hard and demoralising trying to converse with a wall of black screens on a daily basis and having cameras off definitely does not promote active discussion amongst attendees. On the other side of things I don't think anyone should be forced to show their home environment if they are uncomfortable doing so.

Witn 4 of us at home, the home broadband can't cope if we are all making heavy demands of it at the same time so my camera is often off after the first minute or two for that reason.

Bavk to back video calls are also mentally draining in a way that in person meetings aren't.

We have been told not to insist on line managees having their cameras on because everyone's home circumstances are different and people might feel embarrassed or awkward showing aspects of themselves that they don't normally bring to work.

Personally I turn mine off if there is a risk of my child wandering into shot. Or if there is too much unprofessional domestic chaos behind me, that I having had time to fix when prepping for the call.

Could you get cameras and position behind you? So they just see your back if your head at the screen.

Absolutely disagree. Talking to people who can’t even do you the courtesy of turning the camera on feels like they're insulting me - they can’t be bothered to tidy their hair to talk. If people saw you face to face in work normally then it’s absolutely not unreasonable.

If it's a meeting, I have my camera on, if it's a training session I turn my camera off (unless small group or 1 2 1). There is the odd meeting which I know I don't need to contribute and can just listen, so I log in on my phone and for a walk while listening to the others.

I think it depends on the nature of the meeting.

Maybe look for a new job. You sound very unhappy there. Personally I always have my camera on and would expect others too as well. I don’t think being in a pandemic means I don’t have to show my face to my work colleagues

I can’t deal with talking to blank screens at all, it’s really disconcerting. I think all meetings should have screens on, or just do a conference telephone call instead without screens. But I really don’t think it’s great for mental health to be staring at a blank screen for the duration of a meeting.

Bit of tape over the camera lens (even better if it is slightly tinted) "Oh dear is my camera not working properly? It is on, I think its just naturally blurry and dark."

i think all meetings should have screens on, or just do a conference telephone call instead without screens

Surely a meeting without screens is a conference call?

@RichardMarxisinnocent

I see people complaining about people being muted during meetings. I don't mind this at all and I tend to mute most of the time when not talking because the microphone picks up traffic noise going past the building and makes it hard for everyone else to hear the person who is talking.

Yes this. I thought muting was good practice, not bad!

Maybe the difference is that I have done a large amount of business by non video conference call in non covid times? I don't think it's a problem to do voice only, it actually allows you to "switch off" your vision and focus really well on what people are saying and their tone etc.

I've also had a remote based boss for many many years.

I can appreciate if you are the only one on visual it would feel awkward so I think a weekly visual catch up where people have time to prepare is fine. Otherwise it's too intrusive, I've had people trying to read the titles of the books on the shelf behind me.

They aren't asking you to have your camera on the entire day though, it is for meetings. If you were in the office you would have to see these staff daily.
This is a perfectly normal and reasonable request.

@ragnorocks

Have read this with interest. My work place asks for cameras in be on All day- no one talking or doing anything we're just all there on it whilst wfh. I can totally understand it for a meeting where you are speaking and working and doing something but it's not that, it's just constant. It's weird.... Op, I don't think you abu to not want to turn your camera on for a daily check in meeting

A friend had this issue, working from home. In the end the HR department actually had to write it into their homeworking policy that this behaviour from a manager would be classed as bullying, harassment and gross misconduct.

We insist on this, partly to check in on people-we're aware as an employer that this situation is hard on people's MH and it's easier to assess with face to face contact, ditto possible DV issues etc. In addition it makes communication much easier, both 121 and in meetings. I tried leading meetings with my team where they had their cameras turned off and it's really hard to measure response and engagement without cameras. Plus, I got exhausted talking to a wall of photos, and asking questions to be met with silence. Tbh I also suspected they were doing other work whilst in the meeting, and when I have a meeting it's because there is information that I and others need to convey and discuss!

Video calls don’t “prove” someone is up, washed, dressed ready for work. I wear nighties to bed and could easily stick a cardigan on over and it would look like a general top, or put a jumper on. Quick face wash and hair brush and no one would be any the wiser. You can’t smell people over zoom! So to me that proves nothing.

We don’t have daily calls but if we did that’s exactly what I would do! As I prefer to log onto work first, see what my plan is for the day, request documents etc that I need and then go and get clean and dressed (into clean PJ’s or lounge wear!).

Luckily my manager treats us like adults. My work is completed on time and to a high standard. That is all he requires from me. That is what he is paying me for.

Personally I think if you feel insulted and offended by someone not having their camera on you seriously need to get a grip.

Just to add-on dont insist on cameras on all the time-just for meetings and calls! All the time is odd.