New workplace habits can help combat Zoom burnout

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Johanna Ramos | The Ticker

Barbara Chang

Due to COVID-19, most people have to work from home, and Zoom calls are a big part of that. Some people are constantly on Zoom meetings, which can be very tiring.

Being on Zoom too much can be exhausting for the mind and when people are tired, they don’t perform as well as they should. Working memory doesn’t function adequately when someone is worn out, which causes forgetfulness and impaired listening.

People who are constantly on Zoom calls are usually overwhelmed because they’re staring at the screen too much, according to The Conversation. By attending many Zoom meetings every day, employees, and students, don’t get enough done and might repeat themselves at work or during downtime.

For these reasons, employers and employees should introduce practices that help combat Zoom burnout.

Recently, a survey done by first-year analysts at Goldman Sachs went viral because it mentioned the terrible working requirements that made employees ill after working over 100 hours every week remotely and that lower-level bankers weren’t being acknowledged in meetings, CNBC reported.

Following this incident, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser made alterations at Citigroup to ensure employees weren’t overworked and unsatisfied.

Alongside banning video calls on Fridays, Fraser also implemented a firmwide holiday called Citi Rest Day to encourage employees to have a healthier work balance from home.

“The blurring of lines between home and work and the relentlessness of the pandemic workday have taken a toll on our well-being,” Fraser wrote in a memo she sent out to all Citigroup employees, according to CNBC.

There are a couple of ways staff members can make sure they feel less burnt out on Zoom. Inc. Magazine suggested some helpful tips to handle exhaustion from Zoom meetings.

One suggestion is to not copy the routine from in-person meetings into video calls and allow more time for online meetings to make them more productive. To get responses, employees should try to call or send attentive emails to increase effectiveness and make things less tiresome.

Hosts of the Zoom meetings can make the experience less fatiguing by making sure everything is on time, following a tight line-up and begining with action to maintain their attendees’ focus. If Zoom meetings are necessary, hosts should give everyone invited notice ahead of time.

Another way to make video calls less tiring is to leave the settings on Zoom set so there’s no need for a revisit.

Everyone on Zoom calls should turn off their video to reduce distraction for others.

The Conversation suggests that having work meetings on the phone can be more productive and fulfilling than on Zoom because this will ignite imagination and enhance motivation.

Neuroscience research verified that people with active imaginations are more excited, and this shows that listeners need engaged imaginations when they’re talking on the phone, which makes them more inspired to complete tasks and goals, The Conversation reported.

Hopefully more and more working individuals are utilizing these helpful techniques to avoid Zoom burnout.