With everything shifted online now, zoom meetings have become a regular thing for most professionals. And let’s be honest, these virtual meetings do make us tired. We feel like we’re constantly being watched, and all the pressure on self-presentation makes us stressed and exhausted.
The solution?
To simply turn off the camera. When you always keep your camera on during a meeting, you’re making yourself susceptible to the public eye and opinion.
You will notice an immediate difference in your stress levels when you turn the camera off and just attend meetings with your audio on.
You can also switch between keeping it on and off. For instance, when it’s your turn to speak, turn on the camera only then, otherwise keep it off.
This will still take the load off your head and keep you at peace.
How did this trick come up?
It was when Allison Gabriel, McClelland Professor of Management and Organisations and University Distinguished Scholar in the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, conducted an interesting research.
The research looked at the role of cameras in employee fatigue and explores if these feelings are worse for certain employees.
It was a four-week experiment involving 103 participants, and after over 1,400 observations, she found that employees indeed felt more tired of having their camera on during a virtual meeting.
The research suggested that participants who had their cameras on engaged less during meetings, compared to those people who weren’t using the camera. This finding smashed the notion that cameras are needed to maintain engagement in a meeting.
It was also seen that these effects were prominent for women as well as those employees who were new to the organisation. Keeping the cameras on, made them feel like the center of attraction, which added to their stress.
Did you find this study revealing?
Read more: Can Food Make You Happy? Research Backs It Up
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