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?

Ensure the children or dog etc is temporary out of view!

My cat has been the feature of several calls either appearing in person or snoring like a foghorn!

I run team check in meetings and do prefer to have cameras switched on, it's easier for me to chat with the team rather than a blank screen, and to an extent you can tell more easily if someone is looking stressed etc. I would never enforce it but have politely requested from time to time.

I do have one team member who has repeatedly turned up to the 11am meeting in a dressing gown or with wet hair in curlers (isn't home schooling or juggling other things) which I do find a bit frustrating to be honest. I'm all for comfies while we're sat at home but I don't think it looks particularly professional when we're having meetings with others (and does make me wonder what she's been doing for the two hours before the meeting!)

@helsteeth

I run team check in meetings and do prefer to have cameras switched on, it's easier for me to chat with the team rather than a blank screen, and to an extent you can tell more easily if someone is looking stressed etc. I would never enforce it but have politely requested from time to time.

I do have one team member who has repeatedly turned up to the 11am meeting in a dressing gown or with wet hair in curlers (isn't home schooling or juggling other things) which I do find a bit frustrating to be honest. I'm all for comfies while we're sat at home but I don't think it looks particularly professional when we're having meetings with others (and does make me wonder what she's been doing for the two hours before the meeting!)

Working, probably. With her dressing gown on :)

No, you have the right to privacy in your own home.

If they push it then go to your union.

My son hates live lessons. They don't have cameras on, but a live chat, which students have access too, keeps pinging, every few seconds. This bugs him, as he cannot hear the teacher over the pings. We have mentioned this to school but so far no change.
He also, gets stressed with school work and likes to play music, which he cannot do in live lessons. (the music, helps reduce his anxiety) at school, he hums or talks to him self, which. He cannot do on live lessons, due to the microphone being on.
Having a camera on, in meetings isn't great, seeing my self on camera, is bad, but when you are having a bad day, must be awful.

It’s a job you are being paid to do. You are not entitled to it. You are lucky to have it. So many people have lost their jobs. It’s courteous and professional to look people in the eye. It’s not all day. It’s one team meeting.
The calls I am on all day have people casually dressed, women don’t wear makeup and no one’s hair is coiffed. It doesn’t require you to get all gussied up, just to pay attention and be engaged.

Tell them it's broken!

@Empressofthemundane

It’s a job you are being paid to do. You are not entitled to it. You are lucky to have it. So many people have lost their jobs. It’s courteous and professional to look people in the eye. It’s not all day. It’s one team meeting. The calls I am on all day have people casually dressed, women don’t wear makeup and no one’s hair is coiffed. It doesn’t require you to get all gussied up, just to pay attention and be engaged.

That's good to hear as some people on here seem to think you can only do your job if you're in office wear!

I'd rather people have cameras on, because I get a better feel for what they're saying and how they are, but I would rarely insist on it. I'm not enthusiastic about video calls but they're the best we have in these times.

By the way, one of the best things about zoom is the feature to hide the self-view. I use it whenever I'm on zoom, and wish Teams had something similar

I run a team of 4, we only have a weekly team call with cameras on, not mandatory, but run a chat all the time, I also go on lots of calls and never have my camera on, and stay muted a lot, teams is better, but Zoom is terrible for anyone making any noise gaining focus, if people are only listening really should be on mute, nobody wants to hear their domestic life

We had a company wide call a few months ago where someone hadn't bothered muting and we had to listen to them clattering about in the kitchen, using a microwave and walking about. No one knew who it was as they were only listed as 'caller 6' or similar. Despite pleas to mute the never did. In the next call the meeting settings were changed so we were all automatically muted and cameras off!

We have this rule at my work (always have had as we were remote workers a decade ago). I think it is a really positive thing by and large. We physically see each other which is actually hugely important for visual cues and team building. As a manager it is really hard to communicate properly with someone if you can’t see them. I find it overall beneficial for my mental health as I feel like I have “seen” people even though I haven’t been out. There is no expectation that we are dressed smartly/wearing make up etc and we can blur our background if we are bothered about people seeing kids or washing hanging up.

As an aside, I wonder if those who really dislike the idea of using the camera on Teams/Zoom calls struggle to read visual cues?

I haven't read all replies yet, but I agree with the OP

Interesting to see the vote is split 50/50

Our VPN and individual IPS wouldn't sustain us all being on video for every meeting.

As for Atrixie's point about not being on mute, that's interesting. I happily go on mute otherwise colleagues will hear other convo's and building work or whatever else is happening in people's lives.

@Womencanlift

It is very evident from this thread that there are two very different styles of workplaces that are working from home. These can be split into those that are ‘operational’ i.e. call centres, processing centres, helplines etc and those that are not e.g. consultants, people that work on projects etc. This second group are more likely to have autonomy over their diary and workload

I have worked for both and I can imagine that those working in the loans processing centre I was in about 10/15 years ago are having their log in/log out times are being monitored, their cameras will likely have to be on, performance is being tracked etc.

And that is because the culture of those types of companies is like that as well as the impact to a customer if their call isn’t answered or their query processed

I now work in the second group and I can decide if my camera is on/off (manager couldn’t give a shit as they know I will come to them if I have a problem AND i get my deliverables out on time). If I want to take an hour off to do a gym class then I will in the same way I used to go to the gym during the day in the office. Tonight if I have a shit sleep I will check my diary on my phone on whether I have meeting and if I don’t or I can move it I will text my team and say I am logging in later as not feeling great. Again no issue because I control my diary and output and it’s unlikely that there will be an impact if something is slightly delayed by an hour or so

Main point of all that is that whether anything is acceptable will depend on your role and workplace.

So to those who say I will get made redundant/not promoted etc. because I don’t have my camera on then I am 100% sure that will not happen, at least not for that reason, as that is not the culture. However I can appreciate as I still know people who work in those operational teams where that is a risk they take

I agree with this.

My job is field based, so I’ve always WFH in it, so there’s been no change on that front for me. But now we use Teams to have team meetings.

I manage my own diary and whilst working hours are generally 9-5, because we manage our own diaries, we can flex our hours around as we need to.

I’m fortunate that I work in a business where you are trusted to do your job and as long as that job is completed to a good standard, there’s no issues. We’re not forced to put our cameras on, we’re not forced to wear office attire etc. In fact the only time we’re expected to be smart on camera if is we’re interviewing a candidate (I work in recruitment). And only the bit that’s on camera needs to be smart.

If my manager has any concerns that I’m struggling or am not myself, he will schedule in a 1-2-1 meeting with me. He doesn’t need to force me to put my camera on during a team meeting to be able to ascertain whether I’m feeling ok. He would automatically schedule in a call from time to time, to just have a catch up to see how I’m feeling and how I’m doing. That’s good management.

If you need to force people to put a camera on in a team meeting to find out if they’re ok, that suggests that maybe you’re not keeping in touch with them properly outside of that.

So glad I don’t work for some of the people on here and work for a business that values it’s staff and treats them with trust and respect!

I can see it from both sides. It’s a pain in the ass but it is so much better for the more personal check-in type meetings. I tend to turn mine on 5 minutes after the meeting starts, once I’ve chucked some makeup on, and sometimes then turn it off again after I’ve paid some lip service (especially if there’s a toddler nearby throwing his weight around!). If I don’t want to I just blame it on the WiFi connection.

The utter ignorance and close mindedness from “managers” on this page is astounding.

You clearly have no respect for your employees or you might actually think outside the box and respect those who may have a disability, mental health condition etc that they’re not willing to share with you.

If you need to see your employees to be an effective communicator then you need additional training.

Additionally they have the right to privacy in their home. You can’t force them.

Ciaobaby92 Tue 12-Jan-21 22:04:12
It is actually distressing for some to be on camera.

What's the difference between a camera and real life!! Distressing!!!!!!!!!! OFFS Get a grip.

As a manager, wfh as a solo parent trying to homeschool, I don’t care for the cameras to be on. I start at 630 I work all day on top of mumming/schooling/cooking etc I don’t need the added pressure of having to sort my face/hair other than lounge wear attire to see my team/colleagues who look and feel as worn out as me. I work for a large global firm who value our work and wellbeing over been forced to sit in front of a camera unnecessarily. We have well-being checks and genuinely care for each other’s mental wellbeing especially now. I have grumbled about my firm over the years, but they have truly stepped up during this shit show. Shouldn’t it be about supporting each other not adding more pressure?

Yanbu. It can be quite intrusive as gives view to your home (though most apps allow background blurring/changing) and also you wouldn’t spend all day at work looking into a mirror would you?
For calls where your non verbal clues matters, eg presenting to a client, teaching students turn it on. Otherwise do what is best for your mental health.

I gave up my job in September (always the plan not Covid related). From the first lockdown till then we had video calls. I didn't like the idea at first (a bit of an introvert) but I do think the calls were beneficial. I worked in a dispersed team that only met up once a month max prior to lockdown. I feel I got to know everyone much better through the video calls. There was one lady (and quite a senior member of the team) who never turned her camera on I did find this odd and a little rude. We had meetings 2 to3 times a week. Oh and some people were honest about if they were having a bad time. I didn't, but I don't like discussing things like that with collegues. I can see Op that if you're having to dial in everyday it can be draining. Are you able to discuss with your manager that you find it damaging to your mental health (outside of the meetings).

Those who don't like the mute button clearly aren't trying to work from home with a 2 and a 4 year old. I am sure my colleagues didn't want to hear a full on toddler tantrum. And while some of them might have found it cute when one of my children decided to climb on my lap and say hello to them it is kind of distracting to the meeting when they keep saying hello or trying to have a conversation. The mute button does have an important use.

So the issue is not about the camera as much of the other challenges. 1. Endometritis is definite challenge. how long are the meetings and can you hold it together for just that time. Or call in sick as you did before. I am guessing you have spoken to the GP about this.

1. Mental health is the challenge. There are a number of organisations giving support. Some free or for small fees. A one to one discussion with your manager or Hr is a possibility? Have you spoken to your gp for a referral. There are also a number of coaches giving free group support. I am in a group called One of Many.
2. Is there anything you can do to help with making the meetings more interesting? Perhaps, the manager is seeing issues in work and they are trying to find a solution. Can you have discussion about it?

I suspect if people refuse to engage or even be seen, wfh won’t last after Covid. New ideas about etiquette and professionalism are being forged. If you can give the curtesy of turning your camera on, it makes comes across as disengaged and surly.

All these apps have the ability to blur your background and frankly I think it’s not too much to get out of your PJs.

I do think office wear may become much less formal after this and women may feel less obliged to wear makeup to work now we have seen so many barefaced. I as a middle manager in a FTSE 100 company.

@Sarahrellyboo1987 I’m a manager and I have the utmost respect for my team. If they have a mental health issue or disability that affects their work then I should be aware of it. Not in detail but aware of it because they are being paid to do a job and if they are struggling to do it then that is relevant. Particularly in current circumstances. My firm is by far and away the best firm I have ever experienced in terms of caring for employees. We get extra days every year for our mental health, 7 weeks of holiday, an extremely generous pension scheme and a culture that genuinely champions diversity of all kinds. It’s totally open and transparent and our staff turnover is minuscule. But there is a pretty much unspoken rule that we do video calls. Have done for a decade. We’ve been out of the office for a year now. I want to have proper human interaction with my colleagues but the next best thing is video call. I have never put make up on or felt the need to dress up - our culture is that you are judged on your work not your appearance. Perhaps the culture of your work means that an encouragement of seeing each other is viewed as a bullying tactic?

Yanbu. I hate being on webcam it’s a distraction as I keep noticing myself and not only worrying about how I look but I notice how obvious it is when I look bored...then I have to put a fake face on and in the end my face hurts from trying to smile and look normal for an hour or so!

On days when I feel okay it’s not so bad and nice to see people but other days my house is a mess, I haven’t had time to do hair and make up, kids screaming in the background...it’s just not the same as pre covid.

I’ll probably get slated for this but I do think it can be worse for women if you’re used to presenting yourself in a certain way with hair, makeup nice clothes etc at work and suddenly you’re having to be on webcam in full on slummy mummy mode because you have even less time than you had before and there’s all sorts of stuff kicking off in the background. It’s just stressful.

Fortunately my employees couldn’t care less and seem to understand that some days people just don’t want to be on camera. It makes no odds.