With millions newly working from home, here are tips for etiquette on Zoom, Hangouts
A month ago most of us had never even heard of Zoom. Now video chats on Zoom or Google Hangouts are a daily or weekly part of a lot of our lives. School classes, work meetings — even happy hour with friends. There’s a lot of video chatting going on as we isolate ourselves amid the spread of coronavirus. Not everybody was prepped and ready for this new work-at-home life with an in-home studio/office. So if you’re new to video calls, here are a few things to think about.
There are many video conference options, so specific tips and tricks might vary between platforms. There are a few tips that are important to all video calls. Download any software you need long before the meeting. Make sure you’ve checked out the software ahead of time, so you know what you’re doing and how the controls work. Be ready to go on time. Do your call from the most quiet place you can. Stay on mute unless you need to talk — nobody needs to hear your doorbell or kids fighting int he background. Dress as you would for the office. If possible, test out your lighting situation. Are people going to be able to see you alright? Make sure anyone else who is home knows when your calls are. This can help minimize interruptions.
Set up your workspace before the meeting, if you are not able to have it in a dedicated office space. Test out what the participants will be able to see from your camera. Some conferencing software allows you to blur out your background, or choose a background as if you had a green screen. If that’s not an option, just make sure you’ve checked your desk area and everything is appropriate to your office culture. Also make sure the device you’re using is plugged in or fully charged, and watch the battery life through the meeting.
No matter what, just know that it’s not worth the risk to take that call to the bathroom with you. Go beforehand, or sneak out during the meeting. No one needs you to forget to mute and then use the bathroom. Or to forget that you are also on camera.
With millions of Americans newly working from home, a Zoom blog offers advice for workers telecommuting for the first time, including:
▪ Get dressed. Get dressed from head to toe and get out of your pajamas. This is work and you should be in work mode.
▪ Take 5 regularly. Take the dog out or get a quick chore done around the house. Whatever it is, step away from your computer once in a while.
▪ Stretch. Do a little something at least once an hour. Use a massager or lacrosse ball to work out kinks.
▪ Communicate your availability. Use an online calendar so co-workers can see when you’re busy and when you’re available to hop on a call.
▪ Eliminate distractions. Seal yourself off from the rest of your home space to create a nook just for work.
▪ But avoid isolation and loneliness. It’s helpful to have a daily check-in, whether it’s a postwork happy hour or a group lunch on a video conference.
It’s a new work world out there right now. The main thing is to be as prepared as you can be, and be patient with everyone.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 8:40 AM with the headline "With millions newly working from home, here are tips for etiquette on Zoom, Hangouts."