The age of endless, boring meetings with a sea of eyes peering at us through an ever-increasing number of miniature squares is sadly upon us. Strict face-to-face meetings are likely a thing of the past, and the need to wrestle with videoconferences won’t be going away any time soon. Many of us love the convenience of working at home at least some of the time, and if suffering … [Read more...]
Are Too Many Meetings Killing Your Productivity?
Maybe the most commonly stated paradox in remote work involves meetings. A paradox is defined as, “A situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities.” So. what’s the paradox when it comes to meetings in a team of any type? The contradictory ideas at play here are: Meetings (in-person, online, or blended) are an important way of … [Read more...]
When Does Remote Bonding Go Too Far?
A few weeks back, we wrote about how showing your pets on Zoom meetings, or at least not hiding them like guilty secrets, can help the team bond and get to know each other. But can it go too far? Here’s the other side of that conversation. Apparently, some people make their pets too central to the process. A reader recently told me about his boss, a lovely lady who has taken … [Read more...]
When Should We Use Virtual Backgrounds for Meetings?
Have you been on a zoom meeting with Bob in Accounting, and it looks like he’s sitting in a luxurious office with a view of Manhattan? He’s not, of course. He’s using a Virtual Background to hide the fact he’s actually working from the North end of the dining room table. Someone recently asked a question on our Long Distance Worklife podcast: When is it appropriate to use … [Read more...]
Why Do We Miss In-Person Meetings?
Remember back before we got sent home for having cooties? Two or three years ago, when the workplace was as it had always been, we hated meetings. We complained constantly about them: A waste of time. Productivity killer. Boring. Remember? Now, when we ask people what the biggest reason for returning to the office is, the number one answer is “so we can meet in person.” If … [Read more...]