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Is anyone else bothered by the lack of professionalism in Zoom meetings?

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Audrey Kirsch

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Is anyone else bothered by the lack of professionalism in Zoom meetings? Our team leader often shows up late and unprepared. The rest of us wait while he scrolls through his emails to see what needs to be discussed. In project meetings I notice many are not even looking at the screen until something comes up that they have input on. You can see they are obviously doing other work. Even when I'm in meetings with clients, some of my teammates take casual to the extreme in their attire and presentation. Is that just some new etiquette that I didn't get the memo on? I'm curious about what others think about this.

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  1. Anonymous

    That's not a zoom issue, it's a leadership issue. He's set an example and people follow the unprofessional example and no one is focused because it's not required.

    This is culture at your company.

  2. Amy Collins

    I think many are burned out on video meetings! I notice many don't always go on video, and when they do, they are looking at their other screen or down at their keyboards. There's no time between meetings so people do what they feel they have to do.
    That said, if you're the one presenting, it feels dismissive. A polite behavior that I've observed is when a participant says, I'm looking down to take notes on what you're saying. I would say, set your standard as best you can, and of course client meetings have a higher expectation!

  3. Anonymous

    I agree with you, but I also think sometimes people assume others aren’t paying attention.

    I like to take notes, so I am often looking at my other screen or keyboard or physical notebook. I did this during IRL meetings as well. Note taking helps me remember.

    Also, turning ones video off isn’t necessarily a sign of not paying attention. It can also be a sign of fatigue. Not all of us are comfortable staring at our own faces all the time, in poor lighting, on bad cameras, etc. And some of us don’t like having to feel like we have to be “on show” for simple internal meetings.

  4. Peg Bittner

    I hate, think it is the uptimate in rudeness, that people talk as if they are the only ones at the meeting. There have been more times than I can count that people wil speak and not pay attention to others raising their hands waiting to talk about the subject at hand and by the time they notice the subject has changed. There is also time were 2 people will get involved in a discussion together and everyone else is just sitting there listening. I think as long as people are sitting alone all manners are out the door.

  5. Audrey Kirsch

    I'm often in meetings where an item gets discussed between 2 participants while everyone else just sits and waits for that conversation to end. Big time waster and boring to sit through.

  6. Georgene Huang

    The other day I was in a meeting where one of the people didn't realize their laptop camera was pointing down and everyone else could see that they were on their phones while others were speaking.

    Nobody said anything but I think that it was an example of what probably wouldn't have happened if the meeting had been IRL vs. over Zoom.

  7. Cyndi Rosenblatt

    Just made a comment on another post about an in-person meeting from a few years ago where two members vocalized disappointment mid-meeting because they were surreptitiously watching the World Cup at the same time. This was indeed happening in face-to-face meetings long before Covid.

  8. Anonymous

    I am equally bothered by zoom meetings where nobody uses their webcams. In my tech-oriented job (that I just left) the head cheese couldn't even be bothered to figure out how to get proper lighting for his "meetings" (really, debriefings with no opportunity for meaningful input from the rest of us). He appeared in silhouette against a curtainless window. Seriously? What an imbecile.

  9. Anonymous

    My supervisor uses the team meetings to focus on all her favorites and usually does not ask me for any input. She than makes a point of walking by me several times during the day with a stupid smile on her face. Since I graduated from middle school years ago sometimes I do not understand the games she is playing. I understand that I need to do my job and I rarely pay attention to some of the things that she is doing because it is a waste of time. A big waste of time!!!!!

  10. Lorna Rose, J.D., M.S.

    TBH, everything that’s been shared here is pretty common in traditional meetings; people on their phones, writing things down, gazing out the window while the meeting leader asks, for the 7th time that month, “how do I share this on the screen for everyone again,” sitting around listening to someone who loves the sound of their own voice drone on and on… at least we can have comfy pants on while we sit through meetings like this via Zoom lol

    I also had a thought that maybe it’s not so much a decrease of professionalism, but rather an increase in pressure to be productive since we “get to work from home now.” I can only speak for myself, but I definitely do work in the background of Zoom meetings when I’m not speaking and when there isn’t anything being shown. I have ADHD and it’s extremely difficult for me to stay engaged in watching someone talk, so switching tasks actually helps.

  11. Anonymous

    I try to pay attention on zoom meetings, but sometimes I think they're intolerable. I'm also sometimes tired or in pain during meetings so I try to get in a position that takes pressure off of my hip. It doesn't look professional so I tend to turn off my camera. I've been told it's okay to have a camera off, but you should include a profile picture so people know what you look like. I also feel like staring at people isn't helpful either, so I just try to read the audience and go with the flow of the meeting. I personally don't care if people are on screen or not and tend to think a meeting was successful if people seemed engaged (asked questions or made comments in chat).

  12. Anonymous

    I think it’s a hard time right now. There are a lot of articles about exhaustion and burn out. People are resigning without even having a job lined up.

    Looking away from the screen doesn’t mean lack of professionalism. We can still listen. Appearing unprepared can mean that people are in back to back meetings and don’t have a minute to even go to the bathroom before a call, let alone set up their screenshare.

    A little empathy for the human condition is needed.

  13. Anonymous

    And some think just because some of us are working from home 100%, that we are not engaged 100%, or committed to our work. This is quite the opposite and a very ignorant presumptuous stance to take and a very distorted view of the workforce. If anything, many of us feel that we are being judged like this, so when we do get an email requesting something or asking us something, we turn it around quicker than we would if we were in the office! I know that's how I have been operating. Some get annoyed that we sign off our damn monitors by 5:30/6pm....and feel they are not getting our commitment. Just because we are working from home, doesn't mean we have to be "ON" 24/7. We need time to ourselves. Zoom meetings are in fact a more casual mode of communication. So we tend to view it through those lenses. I remember being in the office, and the host would often be on their cell (going through emails), looking for attachments (in person) too...that often happens when you are juggling a multitude of transactions. Lighten up on people...we are only human.

  14. Anonymous

    Maybe a “decrease in professionalism” is actually an increase in authenticity.

    Don’t we all want to be in an environment where we can be a bit more natural?

    I challenge the perception that getting set up in a meeting means that someone is unprepared. Do they know what they want to achieve from the meeting? Yes. Do they have a convo structured to achieve that out? Yes. Then that is the goal. How you get there is sort of…irrelevant.

  15. Anonymous

    It's representative of an overall degrading of behavior in the workplace and in our world.

  16. Crystal Rhineberger

    I know I expected more etiqette during zoom meetings. I had also expected during this current struggle that people would have better manners applied to everything. Instead it all seems to be very causal. I feel when I have a zoom meeting that’s the focus. The surrondings need to not be distracting on my end, no other work, and really be “listening” when someone is speaking. I applied ehat I have learned from drama classes that a video means I’m on camera, speak well when cues to, look the part, and my surrondings as well

  17. Lisa Marie

    That's not my experience at all. Sorry you're acquainted with folks who does the things you've seen.

  18. Anonymous

    I've found (and my Team agrees) that the best zoom meetings are those with no video. Less distraction and more efficient and meaningful conversations. We socialize a bit at the beginning then get into the issues at hand. Most should be muted until they need to speak. Please keep in mind, as others have mentioned here, that some have zoom meetings back to back and other tasks still need to get done.

  19. Katie Specht

    Honestly, I think we were thrust into a world full of Zoom meetings. What once were innocent conference calls and 4x/ year in person client meetings turned into multiple times a week on video. Same with colleagues in other cities. I didn't see these people all year, why do we feel it necessary to be on video just because we're in a pandemic? I feel that the video meetings are overdone (I mean...I could say that about meetings in general too, please just send me an email!) and frankly, I'm burnt out trying to be "on" for these calls. I know that sounds negative, but I mean it in the nicest way.

  20. Christy K. Hanthorn

    I'm sure it depends on the group/company. I'm a part-time tech writer, and we're pretty casual within our teams. I wear gym clothes and don't do my hair. BUT if it's a call with a client, we all play the part. Regardless, if the meeting is on the books and it's not impromptu, everyone should be prepared--especially the team lead. You're right about that. As a full-time professor, I find meetings with students to be most excruciating. While half are prepared and come with good questions, the other half is late (if they show at all), rude, and unapologetic. It's a tough time in education.

  21. Anonymous

    This isn’t something exclusive to Zoom meetings. People have been multi-tasking even in in-person meetings for years.

  22. Cyndi Rosenblatt

    A few years ago we were in the middle of a standing monthly meeting where we must have a quorum to conduct business (i.e., attendance is strongly encouraged since we have to tag alternates if too many folks are missing) when one of our members suddenly yelled out and another one groaned. They were watching the World Cup (one on his cell phone under the table, one on his laptop that he typically uses to take notes). The rest of the room asked for an update on the scores and we moved on to the next order of business.

  23. Lorna Rose, J.D., M.S.

    This makes my sports-fanatic heart happy. A few years ago, I was watching one of the March Madness games on my laptop at work and someone hit a buzzer-beater three pointer and I reflexively jumped out of my chair and yelled so loud, my boss came flying out of his office to make sure I was ok. When I told him why I yelled, he said "Oh you saw that too?!"

  24. Kerstin Day Lochrie

    I'm actually no longer bothered by it and here's why: pre-Covid, my work day had a set schedule. I was expected to be there during the appointed time and to be ready for it. Now, I get emails informing me of upcoming meetings scheduled for various days and times. Sometimes it's a Saturday morning -- my ONLY free time during the 7-day week. Sometimes it's a Sunday afternoon and that's when I have a set schedule with an aging parent. My feeling is that, if I'm now getting called during all days and times (many of which are outside of my working day), then it's natural to expect that I have an outside life.

  25. Anonymous

    I despise being on camera. I’d rather concentrate on what I’m saying than how I look while I’m saying it ( there is no way I’d be on screen without makeup and doing my hair, no way) I think if you run meetings poorly or well in the office it will be the same online.

  26. Leader556780

    To answer your question, Yes, I am bothered by the unprofessionalism on Zoom, Teams, GO TO, and Duo. From the way they dress, to background noise, and if one more person cuts off or interrupts I will scream. Turn your camera on and your mic off, those are the rule and be courteous

  27. Anonymous

    Unfortunately, it seems that almost everyone I know working in corporate America feels extremely overwhelmed and underwater as it relates to their workload. In person meetings allowed us time to close our laptops, sit around a table with colleagues, and really listen to one another. Zoom meetings obviously require you to be looking at your laptop, so I think it's pretty inevitable that people will continue to work in the background. Even a 30 min Zoom meeting can make me feel behind on the tasks/projects I need to get done that day, so to mirror what a few others have said here, I encourage being empathetic and understand that people are simply overworked right now.

  28. Anonymous

    I have noticed an increase in meetings which means less time to actually do the work and many times I feel I have to multitask during zoom calls.

  29. Anonymous

    SAME! Most days I have the dreaded “wall of meetings” - back to back 8-5:30 or 9-6… I have to multitask during calls if I want to get done with work and still stay on top of things

  30. Mrt224

    I think with each Zoom we need to ask "could this be an email?"

  31. Anonymous

    And if it MUST be a conversation, can it just be a phone call? Lord, I miss just a simple conference call.

  32. Barbara White

    Agree!

  33. Barbara White

    Absolutely! I do like having a conversation if we need to hash out details and make a decision quickly, but that could also be done on a conference call. If it's just a one way conversation where someone is reporting several items, an email saves time---especially if action items are clearly labeled.

  34. Anonymous

    Video is a poor substitute for in-person meetings, period. Filters, backgrounds, recording.....use an e-mail.

  35. Anonymous

    People have multiple screens and often put the zoom on a monitor that doesn’t have the camera. They may be looking at the zoom meeting but not the camera.

    If your manager is disorganized, others are not going to be as professional.

    I have noticed a drop in the professionalism of times you are camera required. However, there is too much camera up meetings. I’ve worked remotely for 16 years. Cameras are important in some situations but they are control tools in many situations. Like the meeting I’m on as I type. I am an observer. I refuse to put camera up as I do multi task during this except when the updates happen that are pertain to my clients.

  36. Anonymous

    Your first paragraph is me. My camera is on my laptop. I don’t use my laptop screen, though, just the external monitor, so if I’m looking at what’s being shared, I’m not looking into the camera.

    Also, sometimes I look away because the speaker has said something that reminded me of something that was previously discussed, and I’m bringing up that documentation to I can add to the conversation.

  37. Nikki

    I hear annoyance and frustration, especially when you are nicely dressed and prepared. This virtual world is a new one. Remember that leaders can attend in-person meetings being completely unprepared and participants in classes and meetings can play on their devices while I am teaching. The main difference between in-person and virtual meetings seems to be that everyone is dressed in the in-person ones! (LOL) Try starting every meeting with everyone showing their faces and waving at each other; ask if there are any children or pets who are attending the meeting and show them off. After that, folks often turn off their screens. Sometimes this is to save bandwidth because older children are in virtual school. Ask folks to show themselves again at the end. When the whole group shows themselves in the gallery format, I take a screenshot because I have to prove attendance. Sometimes, when no one seems to be there, I will stop and ask for feedback. I monitor the chat while I am speaking and deal with questions as close to instantly as possible, addressing the questioner by name. Their behavior has nothing to do with me. I do get dressed as if I was going to the office. I'd rather see a black tile with a name than see someone chewing. All these things have helped me to be comfortable in the virtual world.

  38. Kerry Roper

    This beautiful woman, Nikki, ADAPTED to the world. The "world" that she cannot predict or control. (Nikki, Please forgive me if I am speaking out of turn)

    If you need to get "office dressed" before you can begin your day, that doesn't mean other people who don't have that need cannot do their job just as effectively in sweats as you can in a button-down.

  39. Anonymous

    A lot of people who manage others end up being invited/required to meet potentially every single hour of a working day and then some - before and after "official" hours. But, they have other work that needs to get done as well - which means they will be putting in way over normal workday if they don't do more than just sit there. And most of the time, they are there just to listen in/keep up to date on things. So, I see no problem in this case. Is it possible that is the case with the team leader? That he came from another meeting and has another afterwards? I was listening to my partners meeting at 6am today. It sounded like people were in bed ! Like pillow talk, they were updating what happened with the overnight crew, yawning etc. They are exhausted. My partner is just there for these meetings to keep up to date, he might be needed to talk maybe .5% of the time yet he must be on the meeting. These same people will be on a meeting at 10pm before overnight crew starts their work. I have zero issues with people using zoom meeting times for other work unless it is the only meeting they are required to attend.

  40. Anonymous

    meant to add this was microsoft teams meeting, however, they are not required to have cameras on so I was just overhearing the way their voices sounded.

  41. Anonymous

    I am sometimes on 6 or 7 meetings a day, and have my .work. to do too. Sometimes I don’t have time to get up for bathroom break or water.

    Yeah. I’m gonna check emails or think about details for other projects or do other work if someone else is facilitating poorly and it’s not a client-facing meeting.

    My goals when I have the power to facilitate
    1. Keep it as engaging as possible
    2. Keep it as short as possible
    3. Accomplish something you couldn’t with a one minute phone call or email.
    4. Make it helpful for the other person too

  42. Kerry Roper

    I have seen this in spades, and it makes me think people will do anything, including work ungodly numbers of hours for the same pay, just to be able to prove that they are more productive working remote. Plus it leads to the burnout we all see.

  43. Jelana Bryan

    I am not bothered at all. Whether in person or virtual, people don't pay attention. That's been going on for forever. I'm not interested in what a person looks like. Do they know what they're talking about? Do they know what they are doing? Does the client care? Was any business lost on account of attire?

    As far as your team leader, was the disorganization happening before covid-19? If so, they may simply be disorganized. They may have personal things affecting work.

    I used to be

  44. Jelana Bryan

    Oops.. Hit post too soon.

    I used to be bothered by these things too, but I've come to realize that it may not be that important in the scheme of things happening in my life.

  45. Anonymous

    Zoom has made it even more possible for meetings to happen about things that could have/should have been addressed in an email. I have a weekly team meeting. We go over the same thing every. single. time. An hour of time that I could be working on projects that have deadlines to say the same things as were said last week. It's frustrating and feels like a giant waste of my time. Our other team lead finally spoke up to our boss and said, "we need to do this differently, make it shorter, or something."

  46. Anonymous

    My ex-husband refers to my company as the "meetingest *SLJ's favorite expletive* on the planet."

  47. Anonymous

    The world is more casual. I went to a Bocelli concert last night and saw people wearing jeans and sneakers. It’s a lost cause.

  48. Frankie

    Idk about you but I’m glad society is moving away from that. I hope you’re aware that these “standards” for looks and dress are rooted in classism and racism, from the times where royalty and high class individuals did everything they could to separate themselves from the common folk and ensure there was no upward mobility by setting ridiculous standards (of dress, of looks, of mannerisms, of speaking) that no one except the very wealthy could afford to meet. So yeah, kinda great to see society is moving away from judging others based on looks. Think about that next time you’d scoff at someone for not looking a certain way.

  49. Anonymous

    I don't care, really. I'm just happy to have a job.

  50. Cyndy Trivella

    Meeting "disconnection" is very common and nothing new in the workplace. Video calls have only added to the disconnection by giving people a false sense of security in knowing they are not face-to-face in a room of people. Then factor in two problems that have plagued meetings for years: Firstly) the lack of a well-crafted meeting agenda, and Secondly) the one or two people at the meeting who think they have all the answers and monopolize the discussion with their opinions or filler comments that take the meeting off track and don't add value.

    IMHO, the first problem only fuels the second to happen. Meetings should be productive and focused on a specific topic. All too often, the person calling for the meeting is unprepared and will try to cover too many things at one sitting and overwhelm people causing them to wander mentally or, worse, get off-topic.

    Also, excuse me if I sound judgemental, but aren't meetings boring for the most part. Not that they should be designed to be entertaining, but at the very least, they should be engaging, but all too often, they aren't. Again, I attribute this to the first problem.

    And lastly, the person calling for the meeting needs to be sure the correct people are in attendance. To ensure this happens, every person at the meeting should be able to do at least one of the following, and if not, s/he shouldn't be there:

    -- Engage in the discussion
    -- Ask thought-provoking questions
    -- Bring value by adding a different POV
    -- Walk away with a task to complete in preparation for the next meeting
    -- Have the skills and resources to work on the problem to be solved

  51. Kerry Roper

    This looks like a case of the OP being one of the many perpetually dissatisfied people in the world. I encounter them constantly.

  52. Anonymous

    No, I'm not.

    Most salaried employees begin meetings as early as 6am and they go until 6 or 7pm. Some days these are back to back. Literally, no time between them and even overlap.

    My last position had us on calls 8am to 6pm with 1 hour for lunch. The only way you got to take a break was to finish a call early. This was 6 days a week. Even though my colleagues weren't toxic, mostly, the environment and schedule was.

    To keep up with our documenting we had screens open writing constantly while we listened, often muting ourselves to manage. If we didn't then we had to do it after 6pm.

  53. Nikita Weinberg

    Nope! Not bothered. I can control myself and no one else. Besides... no one knows what folks are going thru or have on their mind. I thought Covid taught us to give grace - that grace isn't temporary.

  54. Debbie Vereb

    So bothered by this. We have a senior salesperson that gets up during the meetings and walks away with no explanation and noisily eats while talking to clients. It drives me nuts.

  55. Karen Gongaware

    The boss sets the tone. If the boss isn't bothered by it, why are you? Let it go. You be you and let them be them.

  56. Anonymous

    Unpopular opinion: Yes, Zoom meetings are even more messy than in-person meetings. The whole suddenly-remote thing probably should not have been an excuse for casual behavior to become the norm, but that does seem to be the outcome at some places. Also casual is NOT the same as careless—example, not muting your microphone and carrying out outside conversations. Then again, if those people were to start a new job at a new place, they probably would not be nearly so casual.

  57. Anonymous

    When I have led a Zoom meeting, the first slide always has been "a reminder" of virtual meeting etiquette. It seems like at this point in the game that shouldn't be necessary, but people forget that even though they are at home, they are supposed to be in a work environment. Zoom does not give a person the permission to be rude.

  58. Amy Collins

    Yes, totally agree. Having ground rules defines what is allowed, what is expected and what would be rude. For all!

  59. Jason Lee

    I think being casual is great. I would find it annoying having to wear a dress shirt with tie, groom my hair, and tidy-up my desk everytime there's a zoom call. Seems a bit dogmatic. But certain things should be a no-no, such as a presenter that's eating and chewing his meals during a zoom-call, or not muting mic with background noises, etc.

  60. Michala

    considering the fact that we have meetings from 6am to 5pm, then often calls at night for a couple of hours, sometimes there is no other time to do work except in meetings.

    now if someone is eating loudly, I will either mute them or ask them to do so, but I won't begrudge them to eat when more often than not, they don't actually get a lunch break because it was the only time that a call could be squeezed in.

    do I think this is ideal? absolutely not. but this is where we are now due to lack of staff or how management has set expectations so we do the best that we can.

  61. Joanne Van Vranken

    I just want to point out here that no less an august institution than Stanford University has done a study on Zoom fatigue. It's a real thing. I think you're holding people to a standard that is somewhat unrealistic considering we're working from home. And like others have said, the same things used to go on in RL meetings. Here's a link to an article about the Stanford study for your reference: https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/

  62. Kim Pfeiffer

    I completely agree, especially about the team leaders being unprepared and not setting the tone for the meetings. However, I have had good responses from clients, toward the end of the day, asking if we can turn the camera off and just talk. Say that you've been on Zooms all day and it would be nice to relax a bit. I've never had a client disagree and very often they're grateful.

  63. Ter Min

    As a younger person growing up with traditional conference calls and transitioning to Zoom-everything, the only thing that bothers me is the need for a camera. I've always been camera shy and hate feeling like the way I look determines my ability to *be* professional or to do my job-- which I often know very well. I've been a goth for 30 years-- you aren't professional unless you literally know how to dress "to the nines." For my boss to schedule a meeting for 14 people and have only 2 speaking will get old really quick. Usually it's about something entirely too specific or something way too general. Either way, an email would have covered everything in less time. I don't mind virtual meetings; I can multitask several responsibilities while not having to stare someone who in reality can't see me staring at their face-- which I hardly ever did with in person meetings! I would either take notes or ask inane things to keep conversation going. This virtual thing... Well clearly the people who thought this was a good idea makes me think of that friend that wants to sit on the phone all night (in the 90s) even if the both of you have nothing to say LOL

  64. Joanna Poe

    I'm not even going to speak to the casual attire part, as I could honestly not care less what people are wearing unless a customer is involved. I used to work remotely before Zoom/Teams was such a thing, and we would frequently only be speaking on an audio-only conference line with no clue what people even looked like. I wish we could go back to that, to an extent, as they were quicker, more to the point, and scheduled far less often. Also, audio quality was almost never an issue, and I don't recall anyone ever thinking they were unmuted/muted when they were not. All told, far lest wasted time.

    It sounds like this is more of a meeting/personnel management problem than a Zoom problem. Many companies or managers seem to have decided that they need frequent remote synchronous sessions because they can't tell what their people are doing while they're not physically present in the office, so they overschedule these types of meetings, and people end up with no bandwidth left.

    Your team lead probably shows up late and unprepared because he came straight from another meeting that went over, and because they only have to log off of one session and into another, nobody has any respect for people's time. He's probably been in these types of things all day long, so no, he's not had time to prepare or even look at the agenda, assuming anyone took the time to prepare one (unlikely).

    Your colleagues are likely doing work during the meeting because a) that's the only way to make sure it gets done, as they are also overscheduled, and b) the meeting lacks structure and purpose, and they realize they don't even need to pay attention unless they are called upon to speak.

    To be fair, this trend of wasted meetings was begun long before Zoom and the pandemic, but it's been spiraling downhill since then. With some people returning to in-person work, I hope it will get better, but I'm not holding my breath.

    Change, in this case, will usually have to come from the top, but often people are too used to this to even see a problem. The meeting has become how they manage, and they have come to see "going to a meeting" as some kind of proof that they got something done, so it can be difficult to shake. I'd recommend, if your HR has an anonymous suggestion box, that you write a brief summary of what you're seeing and ask if they can institute some basic rules about meeting frequency and time that would help alleviate the issue.

    Easy starter rules:
    1) never schedule a meeting without an agenda.
    2) no internal meetings between 8-10 or 3:30-5.
    3) no meetings that default to 30 or 60 minutes; stick to 20 and 45.
    4) even, if you can swing it, designate a specific day of the week as a no-meeting day.

    It can help, if you're in charge of scheduling some things, if you start with the very meetings you set up. Productivity and happiness will rise; if HR needs some kind of justification, that's a given. Good luck!

  65. Anonymous

    I wear a tshirt most of the time. Then again, I'm pretty checked out.

  66. Anonymous

    Love the honesty!

  67. Anonymous

    I had a team mate who was petty and hateful and would do similar. Fortunately for us all, she took a pay cut and moved to another team because she was unhappy with her boss.

  68. Janell Mogus

    I agree with this. We have a sector tag-up meeting twice weekly. During this time, my manager and our director have their small children not only in ear shot for everyone, but also in their video frame as well. It's very distracting not only for the leaders, but also for those of us on the meetings as well.

  69. Anonymous

    I have the opposite opinion. I love seeing my coworkers’ children and pets and spouses. It’s bad enough that for a year or more people have been juggling work and virtual school and a different way of life. Seeing those kids reminds me of what’s really important in life.

    Most of my coworkers are working sporadic, unstable schedules to try to be the best employees and the best parents and the best humans they can be in these trying times. Most of us are putting in hours after kids go to bed so we get our work done. A little grace and humor goes a long way.

  70. Jason Lee

    This leads to my question -- if it bothers folks, why even require to have the video on? Do you need to see the person's physical face and top body to communicate? I guess it makes it easier to judge them based on their appearance/attire and environment, if you consider that a good thing. How about just have zoom calls with character 'avatars' and the speaker would be highlighted? Why is it necessary to physically see how they look if it's just your co-workers? (if clients maybe i could understand)

  71. Tammy Hager

    Well first and foremost their video should be turned off unless it is required for it to be on. Someone should address this as far as professionalism and how they are dress for meetings. Yeah it doesn't really bother me as long as you're not eating cereal in their pajamas when we have a meeting can't stand watching someone else to eat on video. The person who is leading the meeting should be prepared and not make everyone wait if the meeting starts at 10 give everyone till 10:05 to start just in case. Unless you are one of those people that they have to start on the hour on the minute. Be flexible life happens and things pop up at the last minute

  72. AC80yd

    I used to dress up from the top, but then I noticed no one else was and I felt silly. Didn't want my work-family to think I was uppity so now I wear casual shirts. I love my group. One of the best places to work in my 20+ year career. I am so blessed.

  73. Anonymous

    My job has me on Zoom all day, running important meetings so I don't see a lot of inappropriate behavior like you've described but the one thing I would like to shout from the mountaintops is this: the scheduled time for the meeting is when it STARTS! Not when you should arrive! And please take the time to enter your full name in your Zoom profile before joining the meeting so people don't have to waste time figuring out who you are.

  74. Anonymous

    Ha ha ha great points!!! You must be in all of my meetings. LOL

  75. Tina

    I think the only thing missing in the business world today is Grace. Try to assume positive intent and understand that EVERYONE is juggling this s- show and doing the best they can with what they have. There is no memo needed to acknowledge this.

  76. Frankie

    Truthfully, I’m more bothered by the lack of empathy and understanding from people like you. It’s exactly that attitude that contributes to workplace toxicity and burnout. I would look inward as to why you can’t see the human behind and expect people to fit unrealistic and outdated standards of professionalism.

    Lots of other commenters have already mentioned how most people are overworked and over stressed, so I won’t add to that. It’s clear most people complaining about this haven’t even taken a second to consider the other side. To offer helpful resolution though, have you considered having a conversation with the individuals or leadership about this? It’s not a bad idea to implement some sort of clear policy that everyone can adhere to, within reason. I agree it’s important to be prepared and professional, but those standards are changing and the goalposts look different today than they did a few years ago. You might just find that if you cut people slack and treat them like humans that are trying their best, and have a real conversation that seeks to understand and resolve instead of judge and shame, they will surprise you.

  77. AC80yd

    I admire how the posts I've read so far are diplomatic & show empathy & compassion to reassure the O.P. There are decent people in the world and y'all exemplify that beautifully. No judgment, no criticism, but civil discourse while respect ing each other's viewpoint. Love this group of people!

  78. Anonymous

    I can understand your frustrations. I think their behavior would be totally different in an office setting. I can let all the things you mentioned slide. My problem is the amount of profanity on Zoom calls. My team just shoots off everything under the sun and talk about people giving their full government names. When I mentioned it, my attendance to the meetings was then changed from required to optional. ( I took that as a big f you) I can't not attend the meeting s and they still cuss all the time. That to me is very unprofessional!

  79. MandaTaylor

    My organization has to email the agenda when sending a zoom meeting request. When we meet with external clients we do not use video just voice. Unless they request video. We ALL wear our companies attire with logo on it. This keeps us looking professional no matter where we are located. (Our organization is 100% remote) internal meetings may have some informal jokes here and there but we are all too busy to waste time for people that are not prepared. That is frowned upon.

  80. AC80yd

    What is the name of your employer?

  81. Audrey Kirsch

    This conversation is becoming toxic with people projecting a lack of empathy, outdated thinking on professionalism and no knowledge of what constitutes less than casual attire onto me personally. I had just come out of a zoom meeting, was feeling frustrated and thought this would be a safe place to vent. Guess not. P.S. I love my job, my company and even the team leader, but nothing is perfect, not even me. Certain things bug me and I know certain things about me bug them. Thanks to everyone for posting their thoughts. Just didn't expect the haters to respond to such a nothing post.

  82. Frankie

    Wow. It sounds like you’re upset because you posted this expecting validation and instead got called out for being those same things you claim others are projecting onto you - tbh, your original post came off as lacking empathy, having outdated ideas on professionalism, and having no knowledge of what constitutes proper attire. So it sounds like you’re the one projecting here. Most comments here are not “haters” they’re people genuinely offering advice and reasoning and encouraging you to be a little more understanding. You’re the one choosing not to listen because you now feel shame for being called out. That’s pretty sad. If you want to only be validated for your outdated views and told you’re right, don’t post on public forums.

  83. Audrey Kirsch

    I wanted to know how others felt about Zoom meetings. Do you like them, hate them, want changes? I didn’t expect people to take my point of view, just wanted to hear others experiences. Everyone’s thoughts, opinions or feelings are their own. I was just surprised by those who felt that my thinking was so abhorrent. I apologize to all who took issue with what I posted. I’m open to any opinion that makes me think or expresses criticism in a positive way to help me improve.

  84. Lorna Rose, J.D., M.S.

    You specifically said, and I quote, "I'm curious about what others think about this." You were curious, you let us know that, and we let you know what we think about your post. Our input isn't "toxic" just because you don't like it, and nobody here is behaving like a hater except for you. I hope your next Zoom meeting goes more smoothly and that you are able to be less bothered by your colleagues moving forward.

  85. Alyssa

    I have found these days that some people think it's ok to rip on someone for having a different opinion, or for expressing theirs. It is becoming so we cannot express an opinion. We should all be able to discuss and allow others to vent. You have said nothing wrong.

  86. SB

    I'm happy that my Zoom meetings are at a minimum. But I have my fair share of them and they simply cannot compare to IRL meetings/professional interactions. Just sayin'...
    I agree with the person who said to give each other grace. Yes! We are all in different areas of work. Be kind. :)

  87. Anonymous

    My Zoom pet peeve is people eating during meetings. “sigh*

  88. Joanna Poe

    Then companies and colleagues should respect an entire lunch hour. I've been in several that just scheduled back-to-back meetings with no regard for human needs. What's the big deal anyhow if they turn off the camera and mute?

  89. Anonymous

    I was booked straight through 8 am to 3 pm the other day. If I didn’t eat in a meeting, I wouldn’t eat. But I mute myself and turn my camera off when I’m eating, because I know no one wants to hear me chew.

  90. surfnwrite

    Why?? Who cares? As long as the work is getting done, why is this a problem?

  91. Anonymous

    Well, because I normally wouldn't eat during an in-person meeting so I expect the same courtesy during a virtual meeting. At least mute and turn off webcam as a courtesy. In a virtual setting, it can be distracting especially when people are sloppy and noisy eaters.

  92. Anonymous

    If you schedule an in-person meeting over lunch hour, don't be surprised if people bring their lunches. In fact, I will often tell people that specifically if I have no choice but to schedule at noon.

  93. Jason Lee

    Assuming you are the presenter that is eating, It's not pleasant to see/hear you speaking between chews and swallowing, and wiping off food bits from your teeth with your tongue. I find it very distracting especially if none of us are eating, but hey maybe that's just me. There's a reason you don't see news anchors report on a story while they're having a meal. Maybe they might take a bite or two.

  94. Heather Adrian

    I would much rather be at home in the comfort of my own surroundings having to deal with this kind of behaviour as opposed to actually in an in person meeting where 95% of these things still take place.

    It is frustrating when people show up unprepared, and have massive distractions, but lack of engagement in meetings is not just a virtual thing. It's more noticeable virtually perhaps because it's clear no one is exactly a forced audience...

    But most companies have too many meetings anyway, or invite too many people to those meetings- and for me personally, I don't mind people not using their web cams either. In large meetings, who cares really - and in small meetings, I likely already know the participants and will switch on when talking most of the time but it should not be a "requirement"

    And we should stop being so obsessed with re-creating the in person environment and having the same expectations. If people can still be productive, and get work done well - why does it matter so much?

    It doesn't, and it shouldn't - especially just because someone may focus or be productive in a different way than what you consider "acceptable" or normal.

    Just food for thought as someone who has spent a fair amount of time managing globally distributed remote teams.

  95. Erin (she/her)

    I've been WFH since well before COVID. With many desk jobs becoming remote and using video communications, this pandemic has pointed out how utterly useless/wasteful most in-person meetings are. A meeting scheduled for an hour was primarily listening to some person bloviate while underlings say "I agree with..." six times before moving on. Now it's a 30-minute Zoom meeting.

    And it should still be a 4-sentence email.

  96. surfnwrite

    Wow, you sound a bit like a stuffed shirt. People multitasking if they're not needed at the moment is a problem? Attires and presentation not up to your standards? What the hell? IMO relaxed atmo is much preferred as long as the work is getting done.

  97. Anonymous

    Sorry have to disagree with you you could at least make yourself presentable and still have manners while on the call

  98. Anonymous

    In my last couple of in-office jobs, as long as we were wearing clean clothes, not torn, no obscene slogans, etc., comfortable was perfectly acceptable. Unless you were meeting with a customer. Then you were expected to wear business casual. So while I wouldn’t have worn the shorts I wear at home, jeans and t-shirts or sweaters were fine. Now if you’re telling me people are dialing in to zoom calls still in their pajamas and looking like they just rolled out of bed, I will agree with you.

  99. Kym Hines

    I think many people have a great deal of zoom fatigue. I cut them some slack as they try to look out for their own mental health in days of wall to wall meetings as they live at work (what working from home feels like for many).

  100. Anonymous

    This post could have been an email!

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