Remote work: why you need to reduce videoconferencing time

During the health crisis and widespread remote work, the use of videoconferencing applications such as Zoom or Google Hangouts exploded. Live virtual meetings now replace “In Real Life” meetings. But it also has its limits…

Feelings of disconnection and loneliness can affect employee motivation. According to Buffer’s State of Remote Work in 2020 report, this is the biggest challenge facing employees, along with remote collaboration.

To strengthen social bonds at a time when interactions are becoming less frequent, videoconferencing is a safe bet. It allows for more humanized communication than cold emails whose tone can be subject to interpretation and often leads to misunderstandings. It also makes it possible to replace informal water cooler talk. But it must be properly used and not fall into the trap of meetings for the sake of having meetings.

1/ Your time is precious, save it!

In remote work, managers schedule more meetings via videoconference as a knee jerk reaction to prevent feelings of isolation. A study by Owl Labs found that teleworkers globally attend more meetings per week (14% of respondents had even more than 10 meetings per week, compared to only 3% of on-site workers).

2/ Beware of the risks of video conference chaos

I’m sure anyone reading this article will attest to the fact that videoconferencing can easily turn into a catastrophe with technical, audio and video problems (26% more common in remote work), meetings that go off on tangents, and children getting impatient in the background.

3/ Videoconferencing generates fatigue

While video meetings are essential for remote work, it is worth asking whether it is the best use of everyone’s time and energy. Some experts even talk about “Zoom fatigue” to characterize the psychological impact of these repeated videoconferences. In It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, Basecamp founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson argue that meetings should be “a last resort”.

4/ Information gets lost

Real-time discussions often involve spontaneous answers. Indeed, when you are chatting live with someone, you consume the information as you receive it. In videoconferencing, even if employees can take notes, some of the ideas and documents exchanged during the meeting will inevitably get lost in the thread of exchanges. The time spent finding the main ideas, organizing them and getting real reflection out of them is often a waste of time.

The video, yes, but in just the right dose!

As we know, video has the power to convey emotion and break the sense of isolation by putting voice and visuals back at the heart of communication. Words only represent 7% of our communication! Hence the importance of tone and body language in our exchanges.

Sending messages in video format with a solution such as Speach, allows you to avoid chaotic meetings without sacrificing the human aspect of communication. It also eliminates time zone barriers and the need to waste time organizing video conferences for employees around the world.

“Offset”, or “asynchronous” communication does not require a direct response from you. It gives you time to digest information, provide solutions and make decisions without pressure.

And for that dose of informal exchange, which is also necessary, employees can create more personal videos to share their teleworking experience and best practices on a daily basis: from tips for keeping children occupied to recipes or reading recommendations… Employees will not lack imagination!

Speach VS Visio: The benefits of video without the the pitfalls of live

During the health crisis and widespread remote work, the use of videoconferencing applications such as Zoom or Google Hangouts exploded. Live virtual meetings now replace “In Real Life” meetings and offer human connection while everyone is isolated at home.

Feelings of disconnection and loneliness can affect employee motivation. According to Buffer’s report State of Remote Work in 2020, this is the biggest challenge facing employees, along with remote collaboration.

In order to strengthen social bonds at a time when interactions are becoming less frequent, videoconferencing is a safe bet. However, it must be properly used and not fall into the trap of meetings for the sake of having meetings, which can also exist in the office.

Maintaining the social link

Videoconferencing allows for more humanized communication than cold emails. The tone of emails can be subject to interpretation and often lead to misunderstandings. It also makes it possible to replace the informal exchange times at the coffee machine, which must be preserved to maintain this sense of belonging and keep employees motivated. Although instant messengers such as Slack allow for more intimate and relaxed exchanges, with gifs and emojis, video has the power to convey emotion and break the sense of isolation by putting voice and visuals back at the heart of communication. The weight of words in overall communication should be put into perspective. Words only represent 7% of our communication exchanges! The importance of tone and body language in exchanges should not be underestimated.

The Speach platform allows you to film yourself or record your screen, then comment and enrich your video with slides, PDFs and annotations. To brief a team on a project, explain how a software works, or prepare a business presentation employees can send a speach instead of spending their day in a videoconference!

…without sacrificing your time!

A common mistake made by managers is to prevent this feeling of isolation by scheduling more meetings via videoconferencing. A study by Owl Labs found that teleworkers globally attend more meetings per week (14% of respondents had even more than 10 meetings per week, compared to only 3% of on-site workers).

Moreover — I’m pretty sure that anyone reading this article will attest to this — videoconferencing can easily turn into a catastrophe due to technical audio and video problems (26% more common in remote work), meetings that go off in tangents, children getting impatient in the background… While video meetings are essential for remote work, it is worth asking whether it is always the best use of everyone’s time and energy. Some experts even talk about “Zoom fatigue” to characterize the psychological impact of these repeated videoconferences. In “It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work”, Basecamp founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson argue that meetings should be “a last resort”.

Asynchronous video collaboration avoids chaotic meetings without giving up the human aspect of communication. It also frees up time zones and allows you to spend time bringing people together from around the world. And for that dose of informal exchange, which is also necessary, employees can create more personal speaches to share their teleworking experience and best practices on a daily basis: tips for keeping children occupied, recipes or reading recommendations… Employees will not lack imagination! Speach is a great internal communication tool to (re)motivate work teams.

Record your communications and centralize information

According to the mentioned reports by Buffer and FYI about the state of remote work, communication is also a major challenge. Real-time discussions often involve spontaneous answers. Indeed, when you are chatting live with someone, you consume the information as you receive it. Asynchronous communication does not require a direct response from you. It gives you time to digest information, provide solutions and make decisions without pressure.

Moreover, during a videoconference, employees can take notes, but some of the ideas and documents exchanged during the meeting will inevitably get lost in the thread of the exchanges. The time spent finding the main ideas, organizing them and getting real reflection out of them is often a waste of time.