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?

I always have my camera off. I look like a potato smilie without make up on, detest looking at my own washed out face staring back at me for an hour and am also a single parent with a 5 year old at home full time so feel quite anxious about keeping an eye on him and causing disruptions to the call.

@Pipersouth

I hate speaking to someone who can see my face but I can’t see theirs. As far as I am concerned it should be everyone or no one.

I don't want to see anyone's face or for them to see mine, or my home, unless they are close to me in some way - friends or family.

What happened to conference telephone calls? Much better, less intrusive.

@LizFlowers I agree - happy with phone conferences and that fits in the all or nothing. I have a colleague who wants to see my face on screen but isn’t happy showing hers! It is intrusive.

Liz - when you say you don’t want people to see your face, how will you cope when we are back in the office? You will have to have meetings where people see you.

And in terms of your home, why not sit in front of a blank wall, or use a filter?

Don’t get me wrong, zoom stings are exhausting, I have about five a day. Very few people in my industry switch their cameras off. Certainly it’s always cameras in when speaking.

I have seen hundreds of people on zoom int he last year and can only think of one lady who never puts her camera on. She rarely contributes in meetings, and is often forgotten about.

It would be very difficult for her to chair a meeting without cameras.

@dontdisturbmenow

It's being on camera I don't like That sums it up really! I don't like something do I shouldn't be made to and if you do, you're horrible person. It really is so childlike.

We keep hearing around the pushes but if a boss who was fine with cameras off for months suddenly makes it mandatory, it is because the staff were taking the piss.

It's all well to pretend that everybody is dedicated to their jobs and work not just as hard compared to when they are in the office but even harder when we know that in truth, there is a lot more doing lots of everything but work.

It is indeed sad that after months of being ok, he felt the need to make cameras on mandatory.

Not necessarily taking the piss. things move on like remote lessons moving to live streaming.

The issue with this is the issues raised here - people being expected to be perfectly fine with things they actually never signed up for .

I don't want to see anyone's face or for them to see mine, or my home, unless they are close to me in some way - friends or family.

So, use the change background option then. It is pretty straightforward. If you don't know how to just ask.

people being expected to be perfectly fine with things they actually never signed up for

We didn't expect to sign up for dealing with a pandemic of epic proportions either.

I used to use a background but don't bother now. If it's an internal call and DH has to walk through it doesn't matter, it's his home and work have to accept that.

The issue with this is the issues raised here-people being expected to be perfectly fine with things they actually never signed up for

I think if people genuinely don’t feel able to meet their employer’s request to turn their camera on for a meeting, then they probably should return to the office or find a new job ASAP.

atrixie not muting your mic? That drives me insane (unless someone is actually speaking) The amount of heavy breathing, sniffing, snorting coughing and general background racket is like nails down a blackboard.

@Redlocks28

The issue with this is the issues raised here-people being expected to be perfectly fine with things they actually never signed up for

I think if people genuinely don’t feel able to meet their employer’s request to turn their camera on for a meeting, then they probably should return to the office or find a new job ASAP.

That's you though.

Plenty people have compassion for people who feel like that.

Indeed-this isn’t about me. It’s about the OP, whose manager who has requested the cameras are on. It may well come to a crunch point there if employees refuse to comply.

Sensible post @NiceGerbil - but I noticed you are also in IT so I am starting to think the industry works quite, quite differently to many (most?) others.

IT here also and thinking back to meetings in the office, people never looked at each other there either. Generally everyone is giving updates and looking at a kanban board or similar. Certainly don't need to be reading people's body language.

@Redlocks28

Indeed-this isn’t about me. It’s about the OP, whose manager who has requested the cameras are on. It may well come to a crunch point there if employees refuse to comply.

But why worry someone already anxious that their job could be in trouble? You have no more idea than anyone else.

But why worry someone already anxious that their job could be in trouble? You have no more idea than anyone else.

The OP has posted on AIBU saying this is a ridiculous request. I don’t think it’s a ridiculous request and I suspect that refusing to comment with your employer’s requests, may ultimately have consequences for your job. If the OP only wanted to hear replies saying that said she was correct and her boss was completely in the wrong, I suspect it would have been wiser to post elsewhere.

@Redlocks28

But why worry someone already anxious that their job could be in trouble? You have no more idea than anyone else.

The OP has posted on AIBU saying this is a ridiculous request. I don’t think it’s a ridiculous request and I suspect that refusing to comment with your employer’s requests, may ultimately have consequences for your job. If the OP only wanted to hear replies saying that said she was correct and her boss was completely in the wrong, I suspect it would have been wiser to post elsewhere.

I agree her phrasing wasn't fantastic but I think a lot of people do that when it's something they're not comfortable with. Many of my teaching pals have said it's ridiculous to be asked to live stream. It isn't, but they feel worried about it.

Each to their own. If a new initiative was put in while physically in work, people would grumble and this is no different.

For an interactive team meeting cameras should be on. If you're just listening and it's one way, cameras can be off.

I find it very useful to see my colleagues face when I have a conversation with them. I don’t really care whether they have full make up on or not. Seeing their face and reactions to the conversation helps me see how they feel. A lot of communication is non verbal which is completely lost when someone turns off the camera.

When everyone was in the office face to face, did people find it intrusive that colleagues could look them in the eye?

The office is not intruding on your private time. This is time they pay you for.

If you are embarrassed about your home, blur the background.

Open plan offices are widely recognised as negatively impacting some people, so we shouldn't just assume this mode of working was free from problems. Even if they were, when you're sitting in such an office or meeting room with others you tend not to be being watched all the time - using your camera presents a full-on image of your face to all attendees right in front of their own faces.

It really isn't the same at all. I know that I spend video calls concentrating on keeping my face a mask of pleasant attentiveness at all times. I don't put as much effort into in-person meetings at all as I tend not to even be in the line of sight for most attendees.

As for those companies insisting on cameras on even when people aren't in meetings... I can't think of any office environment where your face is being filmed straight-on at all times. I would not find that tolerable.

When everyone was in the office face to face, did people find it intrusive that colleagues could look them in the eye?

Yes.

Because it’s the equivalent to working in an environment where 10 or so colleagues were all lined up 2-3 ft from your face, staring at you for an hour at a time. Most people would find that disconcerting!

(I have some resources to link to, for those people who were wanting to take evidence of best practice back to their employers, but they are on my work laptop so I’ll have to do it later).

@Worst

When everyone was in the office face to face, did people find it intrusive that colleagues could look them in the eye?

Yes.

Because it’s the equivalent to working in an environment where 10 or so colleagues were all lined up 2-3 ft from your face, staring at you for an hour at a time. Most people would find that disconcerting!

(I have some resources to link to, for those people who were wanting to take evidence of best practice back to their employers, but they are on my work laptop so I’ll have to do it later).

This.

@Empressofthemundane

When everyone was in the office face to face, did people find it intrusive that colleagues could look them in the eye?

The office is not intruding on your private time. This is time they pay you for.

If you are embarrassed about your home, blur the background.

This