Dive Brief:

• Thirty-eight percent of employees in a Robert Half survey said they have experienced video call fatigue since the start of the pandemic, according to results published Nov. 12.
• The most common video call pet peeve was technical issues followed by too many meeting participants and people talking over each other. Nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) said they find virtual meetings inefficient and exhausting and would prefer to communicate via email or phone. One in four employees (26%) also said the practicality and novelty of videoconferencing has worn off during the past 8 months.
• "Workers are busier than ever and strapped for time. Before setting up a video call, always determine the goal and if it can be accomplished via other means," Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half, said in the announcement.

Dive Insight:

A reported overload of meetings has been a workplace problem for many years, one now exacerbated by having to conduct most meetings virtually, according to Robert Half’s findings. While many are still working remotely, every meeting may not be needed in the virtual format, and maybe some different, shorter meetings need to occur as a replacement, Robert Half noted.

An April study from Clockwise found that employees were spending more time in both 1-on-1 meetings and team meetings. Clockwise said this increased the amount of “fragmented time” on employees’ schedules, which prevents people from doing focused work. Employees also were working about an extra hour per week. 

Experts that spoke with HR Dive about running online meetings effectively suggested making sure digital safety is a priority, keeping cameras on as much as possible and running meetings with a more intentional, deliberate format that actively solicits the opinions of team members. They also suggested canceling or moving meetings if they were not necessary.

Like screen fatigue, the related challenge of employee burnout existed before the pandemic and may be getting worse during it. A study from BetterUp found that resilience, particularly among front-line managers, can go a long way in overcoming difficulties. BetterUp’s chief innovation officer was one of two experts who shared how employees and managers can build the capacity for resilience.

Other ways employers are combating employee burnout or fatigue include schedule flexibility and increased benefits such as accommodations for working parents, mental health support and leave.