A recent survey from WebEx showed that 95 percent of workers are experiencing video meeting fatigue.
Yet, they continue on. Not only are they somewhat intrusive and exhausting, but they may also put more diverse employees at a disadvantage.
For instance, not only do you have to manage your personal appearance in video meetings (much like in real life), but now colleagues have a peek into your home.
Videocalls assume you have a designated meeting space within your dwelling – extra square footage to spare with a work-appropriate background. Something that may not be the case for all employees.
Video calls are lauded for their ability to “connect the team” and generate “culture,” – but who are they really benefitting?
Not everyone feels included
With more and more businesses turning to hybrid working models, hybrid meetings are becoming more the norm and less the exception.
With this increase, more employees, especially those dialling in, have come face to face with the reality that most meetings are not planned with them in mind.
A staggering 43 percent of remote workers do not feel included in meetings, while only 27 percent of companies have implemented hybrid meeting etiquette to accommodate everyone.
What solutions are there to video meeting fatigue?
Spotvirtual believes virtual offices in the metaverse may be the solution to video call mania.
Virtual offices give companies the sense of corporate culture they seek (creating a personalised, branded presence, seeing who else is around, and even the ability to pop by “deskside” for a quick chat if both parties agree) while also respecting that workers may want to portray themselves differently than their physical form.
By utilising self-created avatars within meetings, employees can switch up their appearance, swapping clothing, expressions, hairstyles – and even genders – at will.
Spot creators (and former unicorn Outreach founders) Gorden Hempton and Wes Hather believe that this method of corporate collaboration allows everyone to come to work as their “real selves” without being trapped by physical form or current dwellings.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
