…new job, to ask for experiences of Zoom/Teams with camera on

[The4thForm]

Newish job and mostly working from home. It seems part of company culture that cameras are always on for calls.

In general that’s a good way to get to know and see colleagues for me. However, it can be 4 to 5 hours of this a day.

It also means I feel I have to be ready, on camera, do some tidy up before hand etc. My workspace looks professional, but I’m working from a small corner of the bedroom (good desk and comfy chair)

Any advice, thoughts, experience welcome. I’m finding it a bit tiring.

Blur your background or use a different background - either one of the ones which comes with Teams or one you've uploaded yourself. Then no need to toidy or worry about what's behind you.

Well, it's not much different to being face-to-face, it's it, in terms of having to be ready and have a tidy space? Blur your background if it's your bedroom but I think having cameras on its fine. Once someone starts presenting in teams I can only see one or two other people so it's not like people are staring at you the whole time.

This is normal, you don't need to be dressed to the nines, but obviously brush your hair, wash your face, put on daytime clothes. If you were working on an office you would do the same.

How would it be a y different to going to work in an open office. Imagine that's what you're doing, except it's quieter and the travelling is it from the bedroom/kitchen/bathroom rather than commuting.

It is tiring OP! I have hours of zoom meetings a day, all with camera on. And people call me on Teams too at random times (again video calls).

It's much more tiring than physical meetings. I''m able to take control of my diary and block out meeting free times - can you do that? At least lunch time so you can go for a walk. I also have meeting free Fridays and a couple of other blocks in the week. It lets me get on with emails and other stuff.

If you're feeling stressed about your environment, just use background blur or put a false background up. Loads of people do, in fact in my org whenever people are launching a new initiative they use a branded background, or get everyone to use the same fake background for webinars.

I treat it as the same as being in the office- so I'm dressed and ready to be face to face at any time in the working day. I blur my background and also have a privacy screen. I block out an hour of meeting free time a day (usually lunch time). I did find it very tiring at first but I'm used to it now. However I'm very low maintenance with low standards (and was in the office too)- don't wear makeup etc. I know some colleagues find it very stressful, and some have more 'camera malfunctions' than others to avoid appearing! Also make sure you have good lighting- I feel and look better when well lit. I know some people have invested in special round lamp things (not sure what they are called), but I have a desk lamp which works fine for me (but again, see below re low standards lol!)

My colleagues do use blurred background sometimes, and I’ve experimented with picture background.

In a voyeuristic way it’s been helpful to get to know people, it’s been a window on private lives. I’ve seen that one colleague plays guitar (I do too), another is a huge Star Wars fan (I’m not), etc, sometimes DC will pop in to ask parents something.

I’ve just got a 2nd webcam which I’ll set up later which will help with my limited workspace.

easiest way is to position yourself so there is a blank wall behind.
if not, as others say, blur your background.

constant zoom/team is very tiring. We have a rule in our organisation that 1.5 hours is max for a meeting.
Occasionally with eg a training day we have longer, so every hour there is a 5 minute break.

Being washed dressed and presentable is basic though. I have always worked from home and I am bemused by the number of people who stay in PJs all day in the pandemic. To me, I am always up and dressed and presentable every day. It is basic life skills. No need for office wear, but most things actually look fine on a zoom meeting, unless low cut etc.

I have one of those circle lamps for better lighting. I had a problem with too much natural light from a side window.

Be careful with the 2nd camera setup. They can often have a much wider perspective than the one in the laptop, so you might need to adjust.

Also, working mostly from bedroom. I’m dressed ok, low maintenance too. However I’m paranoid about someone seeing a pile of dirty clothes, a rabbit, or anything else lying around in the background.

WiFi signal was not great here in this corner of the house, so DH got an extender which helpful a lot for connectivity.

Put your laptop on a stand or some books so it's slightly higher, then it's a more flattering angle

I don't know how anyone has got through the last 12 months without cameras on. If I hadn't seen my colleagues I'd have gone even more mad than I did anyway. As it was my boss had several calls with me where my head was on the desk and I refused to look at him - I'm back in the office now, everyone is significantly happier.

Same concerns here about personal stuff in the background. It’s actually no issue for those lucky enough to have a dedicated office space, but that’s a minority.

Living room works ok for me, but in the afternoon it can be a problem with noise from neighbours. So at lunch I retreat to bedroom, quick tidy up, and remove anything messy or too personal :)

Lighting and camera angle make a big difference.
I keep a hairbrush, dry shampoo and straighteners in my desk for a quick freshen up if my hair looks bad.
Flip camera off if you need a short break or a drink. I always mute if not speaking. And camera off if someone is presenting.

At this stage I think the default is false background, and mute unless talking. It’s tiring, but I’ve adapted and it feels almost normal now.

While no one wants to show stuff like fighting kids, a mess of laundry, an impressive collection of sex toys, I do think that people use it to project an image too.

Some colleagues have a well stocked book shelf, others have framed certificates, a piano, a mini gym, a standup desk and so on.

I think it’s also much more professional to be on camera. What I’ve found very odd is people dialling in to a call with audio only, when they are doing some physical activity. It might be that they are walking, or unpacking the car, or something. But the audio only option often seems like they are being chased by zombies or having a wank!!

Dialing in from car seems ok, because the the car sounds gives context. The other audio options just leave out too much context for my imagination to run wild :)

Yes to having a higher camera position. Working at small desk or from lap means that colleagues can be looking up your nose or think you have three chins.

Our company policy is always video. I hated it at first but have really come round.

I’m positioned at an awkward angle in the room, but it gives just a plain wall as a background. Everything out of view is a bit of a mess but it looks like I’m in a calm and tidy room.

I don’t bother with too much make up, but make sure my hair is presentable and the top half is smartish.

People are so used to it now. Unless you’ve got something really unusual in the background it barely registers.

I have a clear expectation to my team that cameras are to be on for teams meetings.

A few suggestions,

• I'm supportive for my direct reports to block out 15/20 minutes every couple of hours during the day in addition to their standard one hour, or to request to change meeting times where appropriate if they are stacking up. This is also true for the juniors who they line manage
• Use a ring light, this really helps and is a cheat to look good
• Use a riser for your laptop, a good angle is always a win
• Use the blur effect if you don't want people to see your home
• Make sure to wear 30+ or higher sunscreen everyday

I also encourage short and sharp meetings, with anything over 30/45 minutes to be justified. Agendas and pre-reading is required so everyone in the call in coming in at the right headspace.

Agree with PP about using the blur function to avoid having to always tidy up the kids' stuff! Also, on Zoom I use the touch up feature to improve my appearance somewhat...

Another thing we tend to do on group calls these days is - once everyone has introduced themselves - switch off the camera unless we're the one talking/presenting. It does give you a little break to be doodling/messing on your phone/doing some emails.

My top half is groomed and polished; my bottom half this week was in joggers, legs across my bed. You couldn't tell though as I had one of those bed tables with laptop on, pillows stacked behind my back but hidden, and blank bedroom wall behind me.

It is interesting seeing other people's backgrounds though

Its knackering isnt it. I occasionally have enough and just dial in either due to 'wifi issues'. Our company encourage 'walk and talk' which I did used to do but since I've changed roles it's a bit more technical and we need to share screens but I still do it occasionally

We always have cameras on for meetings, it’s non negotiable and you do get used to it. Blur the background if necessary. I don’t get the argument that it means you need to be presentable and camera ready. Surely if you’re working that’s a fairly standard expectation

Yes to all of the above. It sounds as if you aren't actually talking for all those hours, (if I've understood correctly) so it's just effectively a way of showing you're "in the office"
Blurred background or blank/neutral wall
No interruptions, make sure anybody in the house is also on the "I'm in the office now, so no, you can't come and ask where your pants are"
Decent lighting

Back in March last year, when nobody had heard of these platforms, it was a case of anything goes, just get yourself set up. In my experience you're expected to look and behave a bit more professionally now, especially as all the platforms have been tweaked to have more functionality and be more user friendly.

@YellowMonday

I have a clear expectation to my team that cameras are to be on for teams meetings.

A few suggestions,

• I'm supportive for my direct reports to block out 15/20 minutes every couple of hours during the day in addition to their standard one hour, or to request to change meeting times where appropriate if they are stacking up. This is also true for the juniors who they line manage
• Use a ring light, this really helps and is a cheat to look good
• Use a riser for your laptop, a good angle is always a win
• Use the blur effect if you don't want people to see your home
• Make sure to wear 30+ or higher sunscreen everyday

I also encourage short and sharp meetings, with anything over 30/45 minutes to be justified. Agendas and pre-reading is required so everyone in the call in coming in at the right headspace.

Sunscreen?

Blur your background or use a photo as pp suggested, and make sure you look presentable (the bits they can see, anyway)

Make sure your camera is higher than your chin, and check angles and lighting if you worry about how you look. You can also have it so that you can't see yourself (On Teams, anyway, not sure about Zoom) but that can be dangerous if you forget and start, oh i don'T know, picking your nose or something.

I hate how i look and i loathe being on camera, but it is exceedingly rude for everyone to be on camera and you aren't. So find something that works for you.