How Much Zoom Is Too Much?
How clear norms around video calls can keep us working well remotely for the long haul
Have you heard of “Zoom fatigue”?
Seven months into a global pandemic that initially shut down most of the world and has left many major industries working from home for the foreseeable future, organizations big and small have turned to video conferencing technologies to keep their employees connected.
But many of these newly remote workers found themselves tired, unable to focus for even short periods of time, and ending the day with headaches. Enter: Zoom fatigue.
“Zoom fatigue” is a term that has come to describe the anxiety, overwhelm and exhaustion caused by too much time spent on video calls. Early reports found that “in some instances, people are finding that they are feeling more exhausted when working from home than they would when working in the office.”
What causes Zoom fatigue?
Long story short, communication via video technology is not the same as face-to-face. While that doesn’t mean video conferencing isn’t an important tool in our work toolbox, it is not a cure-all, and there are some important physical and mental challenges to keep in mind.
Because as much as 85 percent of our communication is body language, we lose the depth and context of face-to-face communication when talking over video. That means our brains have to work even harder to process verbal information with a reduced number of non-verbal cues. So we think we’re getting face-to-face communication, but we’re spending energy trying to interpret face-to-face, without body language to help us.
And our brains working overtime leave us tired. Our brains use 20 percent of our total body energy consumption, so when your brain is overworked, your whole body can feel fatigued.
In addition to a lack of non-verbal cues when talking over Zoom or similar video platforms, virtual meeting-goers face other challenges like gaze awareness (looking into someone’s eyes on screen vs. looking at the camera), pressure to not lose focus, the feeling that someone could be looking at you every moment, , and prevalent technical issues. Not to mention the “what is visible behind me and is that what I really look like?” anxiety!
Finally, excess amounts of screen time, whether for work or personal enjoyment, contributes to the exhaustion, irritability and anxiety we’re already feeling. Studies have revealed a link between headaches and mental health challenges, and because excess screen time can cause headaches, all those video calls may have long-term detrimental effects.
So many meetings, so little time
But a global pandemic forcing us to rely on virtual communication isn’t the only culprit. The fact is we’re spending too much time in meetings, period. Those in middle management spend around 35 percent of their time in meetings, with upper-level management sitting in meetings as much as half of the time. In total, the average worker spends 12 hours per week preparing and attending meetings! And my guess is, if you’re reading this article, you’re not average, and you’d find spending only 12 hours/week in meetings downright refreshing.
It gets worse: more than half of those meetings are considered unproductive, which costs organizations $37 billion each year!
Somewhat surprisingly, many employees of organizations now working remotely have found that they spend MORE time in meetings than they did before as you no longer have the opportunity to just catch someone in the hallway, or as managers need to be more intentional about check-ins because there are less opportunities to actually work together.
And let’s not forget that being in so many meetings leaves little time to actually accomplish work,
If we were already holding too many meetings, and Zoom fatigue is a real concern for remote workers, and people are too exhausted after video meetings to focus and do good work – where do we go from here?
Prevent burnout by setting remote meeting norms
We know that we only have around 3 hours of truly productive time each day–time to spend on deep work or creative collaboration. So how do we design our workday to protect that most valuable block of time while balancing the needs we meet in meetings–especially when working remotely?
One of the key pillars of the work we do with organizations is around norms. If you’re not familiar with norms, they take the values you hold as an individual or organization and put them into day-to-day practice. We all operate from norms, but we often don’t know it - they’re often unspoken and unwritten.
If you want to work well remotely, you must look at our upended work world in the age of Covid-19 as an opportunity to evaluate your previous working norms, hold them against your values to see where your norms are misaligned and need to be adjusted, and then adapt those norms to remote work.
Here are some norms to consider:
First and foremost, when scheduling video calls, always consider the type of information you’re trying to communicate. Media Richness Theory tells us that more complex information requires “higher bandwidth” media (e.g. face-to-face) vs. low-density media for straightforward information. Ask yourself: Is the information I need to communicate simple and straightforward requiring limited feedback? If so, an email might suffice.
Ask yourself, “What will video add?” if you can’t come up with a good answer, schedule a phone call.
Keep video calls under 30 minutes. If a topic requires a lengthier discussion, consider a phone call instead.
Always use an agenda for video calls to set expectations for how long people will be required to pay attention and keep things on track.
Signify in the calendar invitation whether you’re expecting a video meeting or a phone call, who should call who, or where you should meet.
One common complaint with video meetings is the inability to multitask. First, talk with your team about why the temptation to multitask during meetings exists–if it’s a meeting where participants find their minds wandering because they’re not active participants or they’re multitasking because they have a pressing deadline, you may need to reschedule the meeting or switch it to a phone call.
Encourage balancing screen time with movement–instead of back-to-back video calls, build in breaks for people to stretch their legs and get a snack. Consider walking calls.
While people often think of doing large-group meetings with video on, to replicate the feeling of the whole team being in a conference room, it’s actually when video is least effective–there are so many people, no one knows where to look, and even the presenter can’t really see people’s faces or reactions. Consider turning video off for meetings larger than 6-8 people.
Remember that you can use other tools for collaboration. For example, try working on a virtual white board, without video.
Reserve video meetings, especially for larger groups, for “special occasions”–a training session where you want to share information with the entire team that requires sharing a screen, for example, or a brainstorm session among a small group. But consider allowing people to turn their video off if they aren’t active participants in the conversation.
Instead of replacing all-staff meetings or retreats with a giant video call, look for other ways to create a “team” vibe, like a once-a-week prompt on a virtual whiteboard where people can give work or personal updates.
A bigger effort: consider ChronoPace and Core Hours
Another approach to consider establishing among your team is using an overarching view of each person’s ChronoPace to guide when to schedule virtual meetings. Every individual has a unique biological rhythm with hours of peak performance and off-peak performance. Reserve each person’s peak performance hours to accomplish focused, creative tasks, and use off-peak hours for team meetings and check-ins.
As humans, our bodies operate on a 24-hour internal clock. We sleep, wake up and experience a rhythm of energy peaks and valleys over the course of the day. By understanding your personal rhythm – or chronotype – you can learn to effectively utilize both your peak and off-peak productivity periods in your professional and personal lives.
ChronoPace is the signature way MatchPace frames chronotypes and ultradian cycles to help you set your optimal pace throughout the work day based on the natural rhythms of your body. Substantial research has been conducted on the importance of pacing for peak physical performance and optimal health, and these theories are relevant for pacing your day. Determining the pace at which you operate best can help you effectively utilize both your peak and off-peak productivity periods in your professional and personal lives to be your most effective self.
For example, some people are “Early Pacers,” with peak performance times ranging between 5AM and 10AM. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Evening Pacers” do their most focused work between 5PM and 1AM. These are extremes; most office hours don’t fall in the early morning or late night hours, but you can still use this information to encourage your team to schedule their workday accordingly–especially in a remote work environment where there may be more flexibility. They can do their focused work during their optimal hours, and you can find some time in the middle for synergy and collaboration.
So how much Zoom is too much?
Of course, the answer to this question depends on the type of organization, industry, number of employees, and dozens of other factors that affect the pace of the workday. However, both because of needing to leave adequate time to focus, as well as the realities of how much productive work can actually be accomplished in a day, we recommend no more than two to three hours each day spent in virtual (video) meetings, with at least a 15 minute break between each meeting.
Assess the unique ChornoPace of each of your team members (or yourself), block off peak performance hours for deep focus and collaboration, and build in blocks for meetings from there. Even consider “no virtual meeting Monday” (or another day of the week) so employees can expect a full day away from the screen.
Above all, remember that working fully remotely is really hard. A few of us made remote-work work before the pandemic, but many of us are navigating these waters for the first time. We miss the human connection of face-to-face interaction. Meeting virtually can help overcome some of those losses, but it’s not a perfect replacement. Look ahead to future opportunities to restore human connection among your team, like meeting in a park for a check-in or social time if everyone feels comfortable. Compassion and creativity are key.
Choose the time you spend in virtual meetings wisely to protect both the productivity and the mental health of yourself and your team, and you’ll be able to work well remotely for the long haul.