Video calls while working from home. How do you feel about it?

[Tigger71]

We have both been wfh since mid March - both on nearly constant back to back videocalls (homeschooling is a massive challenge for us). We dont have a spare room / study so it took us several weeks to get the logistics right.

I work from our bedroom. Bought a backsupport/wedge pillow and a tilting/adjusting desk that goes on top of the bed. Nobody can walk behind me.
My DH works from the kitchen/diner. When its time for kids to make their lunch he will either just turn video off our for the duration of lunch move his laptop to the lounge. Kids have reign of their own bedrooms and the lounge.

I would suggest your husband might turn off his video briefly? Sometimes people blame poor connections for having to turn their cameras off 😃

[Universal VR]

I think as his boss has only just started (well about a month ago) it seems reasonable that she’d prefer video calls for now. It must be daunting to take over a department when she’s never met her staff.

[Posiesmum]

I’ve used Adobe Connect and Teams. However, we tend to disable the cameras as we work a lot with shared documents on screen.

[Bellemum]

We have team meetings - and have do training courses via video link - don’t like them though - it’s really funny though someone’s dog always seems to need attention - including my yappy one! Trying to stop a dog from barking is hard!

[Twin mummy]

Originally Posted by Bellemum

We have team meetings - and have do training courses via video link - don’t like them though - it’s really funny though someone’s dog always seems to need attention - including my yappy one! Trying to stop a dog from barking is hard!

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My dogs had staring roles in my lessons- they liked to lie in view and snore loudly- the children loved it!

[scooby99]

We use Skype, Teams & Zoom for various work meetings.
Our team manager is on screen; on a few occasions she has suggested that it would be nice for others in the team (9 of us) to also turn on our video function to ‘see each other after so long’.
The answer from all is always “no, not happening, you don’t need to see me to hear me” 😃

[sam_b]

DH and I both work from home - and both have a dedicated office each (spare bedrooms). My only complaint is that despite being home based for years and managing fine with just Skype audio calls - suddenly everyone wants Teams/Zoom or Skype video calls these days... now I actually have to brush my hair and look presentable... 🙁 more often than not now, I switch the camera off... it doesn’t really add anything.

[Andy0502]

We are both working from home, as is most of our company (& my customers). I think we should use video when possible, shows that we are all human and going through the same things. I don’t mind if DW comes in to collect something from the printer or someone else has to stop for the kids - in fact for business it shows that we respect they are people and not just robots.

Will I be glad to get back to face to face meetings - YES!

But until then my camera is on.

[lizzie145]

Originally Posted by scooby99

We use Skype, Teams & Zoom for various work meetings.
Our team manager is on screen; on a few occasions she has suggested that it would be nice for others in the team (9 of us) to also turn on our video function to ‘see each other after so long’.
The answer from all is always “no, not happening, you don’t need to see me to hear me” 😃

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I disagree I think it is incredibly important to see people - it's a visual check on their wellbeing, people are less inclined to do other stuff during the call so pay attention.

I dont understand why people are scared or reluctant to be on video and managers should insist- it's not as if you have had a physical meeting previously

[Lell]

Originally Posted by lizzie145

I disagree I think it is incredibly important to see people - it's a visual check on their wellbeing, people are less inclined to do other stuff during the call so pay attention.

I dont understand why people are scared or reluctant to be on video and managers should insist- it's not as if you have had a physical meeting previously

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I also feel it’s important to see people. One of my colleagues is really struggling working at home with kids in the house and by her behaviours it was very clear in a meeting how bad things are with her. You would be unaware of that on a telephone call. I regularly use Teams to video chat with my team.