Do you go on video on teams meetings?

[Terracottafarmers]

We all work from home as our company is international and we have some colleagues local to each other, others up in Scotland or in America for example. Do you always go on camera for internal teams meetings, client meetings or when another colleague calls you? I've always gone on camera out of respect but sometimes I'm really not up for it, especially if I look like crap. I've started not going on camera if I do not feel like it, but my manager insists that we do. Wanted to get others thoughts.

It don’t know why they’re allowed to get away with it.

Perhaps it's a reasonable adjustment for a mental or physical health condition.

Always, and that is the culture in our company. In our parent company and some of our partners and customers the culture is not to and it's clear that engagement suffers. The tell is that when you ask someone to comment you get that little panic-y response and then they make up some bullshit that they had a dropout and could you repeat please. Our parent company sadly is the worst for it - engagement levels are basically zero.

We have become a blank screen culture, works perfectly for me and I don't know of anyone that has had any complaints about it.

I only turn mine on if it’s a one on one or a small meeting of four or less.

Most of my meetings someone is sharing a document so we’re just tiny boxes at the bottom of the screen anyway. And most of them don’t require my input or active participation so I’m usually working on something else at the same time.

Agreed that with less than about 8 participants it is not great manners to keep your camera off. In meetings of more than 8 or so it is usually the key speakers who will keep their cameras on.

It shouldn’t be dictated by how anyone feels, it is just good business etiquette.

Yes, always. Work for a big international tech company - there are no formal company policies about it (yet) but the culture definitely demands that cameras are on for meetings. I'm fine with it - yes, sometimes I'm in my gym hoodie or something, but that's considered fine. People would rather see me a bit less polished than speak to a black screen.

@Lostsadandconfused if you aren't required in the meeting why are you turning up?
That's one of the main reasons we are expected to have cameras on, so people aren't talking to a group of people who aren't listening - total waste of time otherwise

Would you go to your office and turn your back when in a meeting? It’s rude and unprofessional not to turn your camera on and engage with your colleagues. No one cares what you look like.

yeah it’s pretty rude, not to have your camera on.

The only time I am not on camera is when we have company wide updates. These usually run over lunch period and the company acknowledges this and encourages people to eat their lunch if needed - with the camera off

The reason I ask is because we have a team member - who I highly dislike and have conflict with, has always had their camera off, even on calls with our direct internal team and there's only 8 of us! But will have it on for client calls etc. They never have it on, never shows their face, even with our managers on the call, when one of our colleagues was leaving the company, they didn't even put it on to wish them farewell. Because they've always got away with it and the managers have never ever pulled them up on it. It's so rude, but I'm talking about maybe one or twice a month I won't put it on, most of the time I do

When you work from home, you should always be 'camera presentable' from the neck up.

I don't think anyone cares if you're working in your trackie bottoms - but you should certainly look professional from the neck upwards for Teams calls.

Internal no, external always.

No, I don’t put it on. Certainly does not mean I’m not engaged in the meeting.

If there isn’t a screen share going on, I’ll often get up a move around, as it’s very painful for me to sometimes sit for long periods.

Never had a problem in 16 years of using Lync and in the last few years Teams for meetings.

So if this colleague sported pink hair and cartwheeled during a meeting, yet got away with it, would you?
No of course not. Such a child-like argument. Just because x acts unprofessionally, doesn't mean you have to.

Completely agree with this. I have a brush, concealer and lipgloss on my desk for this very reason. It’s awful when you join a call but haven’t looked in the mirror for a couple of hours and see yourself in the camera only to realise your hair is sticking up and mascara is smudged.

Camera should be on for all meetings. Very rude not to, it’s akin to not looking someone in the eye when you speak to them face to face.

If I really don’t want someone to see me, perhaps I’m ill or something, I’ll just call them on my mobile and not use Teams.

Yes.
Camera on unless IT glitches or geniune reason.

We use it nearly everyday for work and we have cameras on.

We have been involved in recent training and it was apparent some just turned the camera off and ignored the session (when we went into small groups it was obvious). So getting the certificate
/ CPD credits etc without doing the stuff.

My DP has noticed a decline of cameras being on and they are putting out "guidance" for online meetings to have cameras on.

Yes I do unless like it’s an organisation wide one that’s for information rather than requiring participation.
I think it’s good manners/respectful to show I’m listening.
If it’s a long meeting I’ll turn it off for a few minutes to stand up and stretch, just so that the other participants aren’t left staring at my stomach 😂 and switch it back on again when I’m sat back down.

Well, yes. "Camera on" policy for most meetings unless someone is presenting. Cameras off for massive "town hall" style meetings.

Cameras off in my office, and thank god for that. Nobody needs to see my cat trying to get involved in my Teams meetings when I’m WFH.

I’m with your manager - after all, if you were working in an office, you wouldn’t be able to to opt out of showing your face - why should a virtual meeting be any different?

it's clear that engagement suffers. The tell is that when you ask someone to comment you get that little panic-y response and then they make up some bullshit that they had a dropout and could you repeat please

That. There are two people on our board of 9 who don't have their cameras on. And when we ask either of them something, there's a long silence and then a flustered response. They're clearly not really 'at' the meeting. It does my head in. They're on the board for a reason, and we often have really difficult decisions to make. If they're not listening or engaged there's really no point to them, and there's the possibility that we could end up making sub-optimal decisions without their input.

Same as most people - camera on unless it’s a huge meeting. I might also turn it off if there’s a load of document sharing so I can peer at the screen more easily without looking like a weirdo. But once document sharing is over, camera back on.

I do, at my last company during covid there were some colleagues whose face I didn’t see for 2 years. They NEVER had their camera on. Even on 121 calls. Things were said but the same people never did. I started turning mine off when starting at a blank screen.

My new company it’s pretty much mandatory and it’s really nice, no one cares what you look like. Nothing worse than talking to a blank screen.

As others have said on a large meeting some cameras are off.

Always; unless it’s a huge training course or town hall type meeting.

We’re a global company so work with people in different countries so it’s hard to build up rapport otherwise. Camera off in a 1:1 or small call feels rude (obvious exceptions are tech issues or something has happened) and I know often it means people aren’t listening and doing something else.

Yes, I put my camera on if it's a meeting with our immediate team or professional network. I don't if it's a webinar or training event though, unless it's a very small group and we have to interact. I don't often bother with doing makeup or anything much with my hair, but try to look neat. Laptop cameras don't tend to be super high definition so they do disguise a lot 😁