How To Avoid Zoom Burnout

 

Your demo and disco calls are facing plenty more competition this year. 

Social distancing has forced work and face-to-face meetings to move online. 

Although 98% of respondents say that video conferencing can create a good relationship inside and outside the company, it seems that we are in front of the camera all day.

That is why the negative consequences of hangouts began to be felt. Namely Zoom burnout. This is a new term to describe the emotional exhaustion that results from frequent hangouts.

Zoom burnout is a pressing problem that can still be countered. We’ll show you how to do this below. 5 simple tips to help you maintain your emotional health and take care of your colleagues.

What is Zoom burnout? 

Okay, it’s not just Zoom… 

Remote work does not replace the need for communication between team members. People participate in a huge number of online meetings. The latter provoke fatigue.

This happens for several reasons. First, working at a computer is very stressful for the eyes. Secondly, an online meeting is a complex form of communication. It excludes reading facial expressions and body language, which makes the brain work more actively, trying to interpret the interlocutor’s message.

Plus, people may be worried about their own appearance. Which is not surprising? After all, next to the face of the interlocutor, we see our own image. The brain worries about our appearance, reactions to what we say in a conversation, and proper behavior.

Another reason for burnout may lie in the availability of hangouts. They are easy to organize. Therefore, teleworking has led to a dramatic increase in the number of meetings.

Also, external factors affect the occurrence of burnout:

• loss of a sense of control;
• dysfunction in the workplace;
• multitasking;
• imbalance between personal life and work.

How to identify Zoom burnout

To do this, answer yourself the question: “Do I have negative feelings when I think about the next online meeting?”

If so, it is very likely that you have Zoom burnout. Perhaps the meetings that came before did not live up to expectations in terms of productivity. This is normal. Hangouts often don’t end with clear decisions, which makes it feel like wasted time.

How to Prevent Zoom Burnout

Most importantly, this type of burnout does not come from Zoom, but from video calls. Therefore, switching to Skype, Slack or Google Hangouts will not solve the problem. Stress arises from the nature of video communication. In particular, the difficulty of interpreting the interlocutor’s messages, the many distractions, the need to control oneself and the environment.

Therefore, the solution lies in a new attitude towards video meetings. Participate in them when necessary. Make them as task-oriented as possible. The following guidelines will help you with this.

Is this meeting obligatory

Drop anxiety and try to assess the situation from a rational point of view. Is it mandatory to hold a meeting on a specific issue? Or is it enough to send an email?

Make sure the meeting is really necessary. With many video calls, the next meeting is not able to strengthen the team spirit. It will only tire the employees.

So ask yourself, “What is this video call for?” Just to prove you are a good colleague? Or is a meeting with the team really necessary?

Who needs to attend

Video calling with 20+ participants is tricky. Perhaps you don’t need to add all team members? A dialogue with two or three employees will be much more constructive, organized and effective.

Remember your main goal. If you are the head of a company, then the main task is to operate the business. By attending unnecessary meetings, employees are wasting time. Perhaps you shouldn’t distract them from their work?

Respect someone else’s time

When organizing a hangout, define your own intentions for it. For example, by answering the following questions:

1. Why do you need this call?
2. Who will participate in it, and why?
3. How long will the meeting last?
4. Do you need any preliminary preparation? If required, which one.

Keep your hangout focused. She has to solve a specific problem. Try to define it as clearly as possible and convey it to the participants in advance. This will keep your hangout simple and efficient.

Establish communication rules

This point is especially important for managers. Remote work blurs the line between professional and personal life. As a result, a person does not have time to rest. Over time, fatigue begins to build up, leading to emotional exhaustion.

The understanding of the length of the working day is also erased. If a colleague writes in the evening: “Hello. Where are you? We urgently need to do this work”. What will you do? And your subordinates?

73%  of people leave instant messengers and email active all day long. 50% say they have spent more time talking about work issues over the past few years. And this largely depends on the leader.  If he responds to emails outside office hours, the team will also do so.

Eliminating this – your task. For this, the rules of professional communication should be established and followed. The team needs to understand when you are available.

1. Working hours. The best option is to agree on a schedule with the team. This will ensure effective communication without harming the project. Separately, you can define the time devoted to replies to letters and messages. Remember, employees need to feel like they have free time for themselves for their hobbies and training. Maybe they need to spend time with their family or work with an English tutor. Remember, an emotional state greatly affects productivity, so it’s important to keep boundaries.
2. Tool notifications. Many instant messengers and programs for communication allow you to use a different status. For example, Skype. Use it to define business hours. Also report when you provide an answer. This will eliminate the anxiety and concern of the interlocutor.
3. Follow the rules. It is not enough just to install them. Define and be sure to follow these expectations. It may take time for the team and clients to get used to the new communication. However, in the end, you will get a hundred times more.

Recognize that home is not an office

One of the more tedious things about hangouts is trying to pretend you’re in the office. It’s almost impossible. A spouse walking in the background, poor lighting, or a pet that suddenly appears can cause stress. But is it worth it?

This kind of thing is not normal in the office. However, in current conditions, your employees work from home. Try to reduce the emotional stress associated with such things. To do this, it is enough to inform subordinates in an unobtrusive manner about the distractions that you may have.. 

Finding time to disconnect

Finding time to disconnect and do something for you is an ideal way to relax after a long day of Zoom video calls. Udemy offers a variety of classes in Relaxation, Stress Management, Yoga, Meditation and much more. These courses help to create a happy balance within your day-to-day life as well as a reminder of the importance to taking time to disconnect.

Conclusion

One of the more tedious things about hangouts is trying to pretend you’re in the office. It’s almost impossible. A spouse walking in the background, poor lighting, or a pet that suddenly appears can cause stress. But is it worth it?

This kind of thing is not normal in the office. However, in current conditions, your employees work from home. Try to reduce the emotional stress associated with such things. To do this, it is enough to inform subordinates in an unobtrusive manner about the distractions that you may have.