"So, how’s your WFH going? You must be enjoying it, right? Not like us, who have to travel all the way to the office!"
How many times have you heard this and forced down the urge to respond, ‘‘Yeah, what more could I be enjoying than sitting for numerous virtual meetings in my room?
If you, too, have come to despise sitting for numerous frequent virtual meetings, there is a chance you are experiencing a phenomenon called virtual meeting fatigue. What is it? Let’s find out!
What is virtual meeting fatigue?
Have you felt exhausted at the end of a virtual meeting? I felt like taking a break could lighten the heaviness in your head. Or do you find yourself wanting to move your eyes away from anything that is digital?
If you have been experiencing these, my friend, you may be suffering from something we call virtual meeting fatigue, more commonly known as Zoom fatigue.
To put it simply, virtual meeting fatigue, or Zoom fatigue, is a cluster of symptoms you experience as a result of attending long hours or a high frequency of virtual meetings.
They can be physical symptoms like eye strain, headaches, body pain, or low energy, and even psychological symptoms like decreased motivation, chronic burnout, feelings of isolation, and a sense of detachment.
And all of these collectively impair one important aspect of your contribution to your organization: productivity.
Not quite understanding how? Read below to learn more.
How does virtual meeting fatigue impact productivity?
So, you have just ended another virtual meeting with your team. How are you feeling? Do you feel any of these are listed below? If you do, you might want to check your productivity levels as well. Chances are, they are suffering too. Let’s see how.
1. Decreased focus and attention
Back-to-back and long virtual meetings cause you to maintain and sustain your focus and attention for extended periods of time. After the end, you may find yourself having exhausted your reservoir of mental energy. But you have to work. How do you do that? With reduced focus and attention. And inevitably, your productivity suffers.
2. Mental strain
With a number of participants attending the virtual meeting, you receive an overload of visual and auditory stimulation from your device. In addition to this, you are also required to act properly since you are also visible to many people.
And as if that wasn’t enough, you are required to engage in an environment with multiple distractions, be it the noise outside, message notifications from your phone, or an urgent call that needs immediate attention.
All of these build up to create a mental strain, and as your brain has run out of fuel, you cannot function with the same levels of productivity.
3. Physical exhaustion
The thing with virtual meetings is that since they are usually expected to be attended while sitting, they are assumed to be easy for the individual. But, in reality, it is quite the opposite. Similar to how too much sleep in a certain position can cause you to wake up with physical discomfort, too much sitting in the same place can cause physical exhaustion.
We see it when we try to resume working after a virtual meeting. The muscle stiffness makes working on the keyboard difficult, impacting our productivity.
4. Cognitive overload
Picture how a virtual meeting goes: someone hosting it, a slide deck that is up for display, messages that appear on meeting chats, files being shared - there is just so much to process together. When you actually see all of these together, you may picture it as a sack containing them sitting atop your brain.
After you have unloaded a sack from your shoulders, what do you feel? Relief and exhaustion both, right? Do you feel like doing anything right after? No, right? It's the same with your brain, buddy. And if you do push your brain, you’ll find yourself frequently resting your head on your work desk.
5. Increased frustration
So, you have a number of tasks to finish. You are getting ready to start on those tasks after attending the just concluded long meeting. But there goes another ting in your email inbox. Another meeting invite. You are likely to be frustrated because you are not able to complete your tasks. So, the frustration of attending long meetings adds to the disappointment of needing more time to complete tasks - the perfect mix for low productivity.
What do you do? Consider talking to your boss.
But what can my boss do about it?
Well, quite a few things, for sure. Read below.
What can your boss do about it?
1. Schedule asynchronous meetings
Asynchronous meetings are an effective alternative to routine update virtual meetings. This is so because meeting participants are not required to be 'attending' a meeting in real-time. They can respond to the questions - taking about 2 minutes - and go back to working on their tasks. Look at this asynchronous sync-up meeting from Sup Bot - a standup bot for asynchronous meetings.
Add to Slack
Add to Teams
Add to Webex
You can just answer these questions, and voila, the meeting is over!
Less long virtual meetings = Reduced virtual meeting fatigue.
2. Revise the meeting cadence
Now, there may be a number of virtual meetings on your manager’s list that need to be held for the efficient flow of information and ideas. But are all of them held on the right cadence? You can find that by clicking here.
It can be a good idea for your manager to revisit their frequency and revise it if necessary. This will help add more hours of productive work by reducing the time wasted in meetings. And less time wasted in virtual meetings means less zoom fatigue.
3. Make meetings opt-in
Meetings are required, but are all meeting invitees required? Not if the list of invitees is not created thoughtfully. But do managers always have the time to do that? Not really, right? But there is something they can definitely do - make it a choice for meeting participants to accept or decline a meeting request.
By doing this, they reduce the number and hours of virtual meetings you are required to attend. Thereby reducing the chances of virtual meeting fatigue.
4. Ask for feedback
You most definitely can do all of the above by initiating a conversation with your boss. Similarly, your boss can begin this discussion by checking in with you and other employees post every meeting. This will help them understand what can be done to improve the quality of meetings - be it changing the cadence or seeking an alternative.
What can you do about it?
Now, you know what all your managers can do. But, as you must have heard, God helps those who help themselves, right? Not to sound too preachy, but there are many things you can try to reduce the effect of zoom fatigue. Here they are:
1. Practice the 20-20-20 rule
Have you heard of this before? Likely from your friends or colleagues who complain of eye strain. If you are suffering from virtual meeting fatigue, it's time you put it into practice too. What do you have to do?
Simply shift your view to an object 20 feet away and stare at it for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes. Too difficult to remember doing that? Time to make use of your phone alarm, apart from using it to wake up on time and still failing. sad life
2. Practice deskercise
I’m not sure if you have heard of this, but it is what it sounds like - exercises you can do without moving from your work desk. These sets of exercises will alleviate and reduce the physical strain caused by sitting for long hours for virtual meetings.
3. Optimize your workspace
Are you guilty of working from your bed? If so, it is time you change your work setting if you want to reduce the effects of virtual meeting fatigue. Even if you work out of a proper desk set-up, ensure it is comfortable enough not to impair you with another bout of backache after a meeting ends. Additionally, you can add plants to your workspace if possible.
The use of proper lighting, too, goes a long way toward creating a workspace that combats the effects of virtual meeting fatigue.
4. Reduce screen time post-work
So, you are done with your meetings and tasks for the day and planning to Netflix and chill? Well, if you are experiencing Zoom fatigue, you might want to reconsider your plans. This is because jumping from one digital device to another will strain your eyes. Take a break from your digital devices and spend some time with your loved ones.
5. Build a routine
Consider creating a routine for yourself that is built around giving optimum time to your job and to your personal life. A set time with clear boundaries for both will allow you to work on ideas to maximize productivity at work while also resting your mind so that it is rejuvenated for the next day, despite back-to-back virtual meetings.
Conclusion
It is all about how you take steps to mitigate the effects of virtual meeting fatigue. We have provided you with ways you can ask your boss for help and ways you can help yourself. We hope that these serve as a great start for you to be your most productive self!
Frequently asked questions
1. What is virtual meeting fatigue?
Virtual meeting fatigue, often referred to as Zoom fatigue, is the mental and physical exhaustion experienced after long or frequent virtual meetings. Constant screen time, lack of movement, and the mental strain of processing non-verbal cues in a digital format all contribute to this feeling. Over time, it can lead to decreased focus and productivity.
2. How do you deal with Zoom fatigue?
Zoom fatigue is real, but there's a smarter way to manage it. Cut down on excessive meetings by switching to asynchronous updates with Sup Bot. With automated check-ins and follow-ups, you can keep the team on track without constant video calls. It's all about boosting productivity and keeping the energy up.
3. How can I reduce the number of virtual meetings?
You can transition to asynchronous communication tools like Sup Bot, available on Slack, MS Teams, and Webex. This helps teams stay aligned and collaborate seamlessly without the stress of endless meetings. Sup Bot automates routine updates, check-ins, and follow-ups, allowing everyone to contribute at their convenience, reducing meeting fatigue while boosting productivity.
