With 62% of global remote workers working from home at least occasionally, and employers and corporations adapting to hybrid work models, it looks like remote working is here to stay.
Consequentially, so too are the unavoidable Zoom meetings.
But gone are the days of hiding behind a switched-off camera, shoving your face with powdered donuts at 10 am contemplating if you could get away with a ‘lil post-binge nap. Just me? Moving on then.
As basic human beings, we understand that whipping your phone out in a face-to-face meeting and having a cheeky scroll on Tinder is rude, along with strolling in 5 minutes late with a latte in hand stinking of the 5 cigarettes you’ve just huffed in the toilets. In these in-person interactions, multiple people aren’t shouting “speak louder Sharon” at the same time or getting up and walking out of the room if their phone happens to ring.
It’s safe to say that Zoom meeting etiquette has a long way to go if it’s to run as smoothly and respectfully as our human-to-human interactions. We’ve been at it for almost 2 years now, and some things got to give. Based on my extensive Zoom usage, here are some quick tips to improve your etiquette on the platform and make everyone’s work meetings a little bit less hellish.
Please stop saying ‘you’re on mute’
Gah, this one drives me bonkers. Please stop being this person.
Yes, it can be frustrating that Jim from accounts seems not to know where his to unmute button is, but shouting “you’re on mute” makes you look like a sh*tty person.
Jim from accounts will probably feel a bit embarrassed and a bit ganged upon. If you’re thinking “so”, you’re part of the problem. Try not to tear your colleagues a new one when we’re all trying our best, and remember that not everyone is tech-savvy or as comfortable with this virtual setup.
Why don’t you try something like “sorry Jim, we can’t quite hear you there”.
Don’t wait for people to turn up
If you do the whole “I’m going to wait a few more minutes”, don’t. What you’re essentially doing here are two things.
- Making it ok for people to just rock up late and not manage their time properly. You’ll wait for them, so why do they need to be punctual?
- You’re insulting the people who HAVE shown up on time. They have other things to get on with, so don’t punish the productive people for the sake of those who don’t care.
Start the meeting on time. If someone shows up late, ignore them and keep going with what you’ve got to say. Show that your time and the other’s people’s time on the call is important.
Don’t go overtime
Learn the valuable skill of managing a meeting and managing time. Send an agenda before the meeting, so everyone understands what will be covered off…and stick to it.
Sometimes things need to be discussed in more depth than you thought. No worries, this is the time to step in and say something along the lines of
“This topic is probably going to need a separate meeting with some more time to think. Let’s set up a time to go through it”
And then swiftly move on to the next thing.
If time runs out, STOP THE MEETING. Things can be followed up via email or rescheduled.
Even if you aren’t running the meeting, you can still stop the meeting. Don’t let anyone else control your time. It’s valuable, and you need to put boundaries on it, or you’ll end up overworked and burnt out.
“I actually have another meeting I need to get to. As we’re now overtime, can someone please send me the notes”
If your phone rings, don’t answer it
Honestly, don’t be that person. As mentioned earlier, few people are rude enough to do this in person. So why is it acceptable in the virtual environment?
You have blocked out this time to focus on whatever the meeting is about. Put your phone on silent and focus. Muting yourself to take a call is extremely rude, just like IRL.
If you are expecting an important call that you can’t reschedule, warn people at the start of the meeting and apologize in advance.