PHOENIX — The coronavirus pandemic has a lot of folks working from home, meaning many are very familiar with virtual meetings, like Zoom.
But there are a few things about those cyber meetings that can be a little annoying to you, your co-workers or even your bosses.
Here are a few faux pas of virtual meetings you may want to avoid:
Your cell phone isn’t the only annoying thing bothering your coworkers.
“But because you’re at home, it’s pretty inevitable that there’s noise in the background,” said Christy Ortega.
“Half of them have their screens off so I can’t see if they’re there,” said Grace Burry.
“Everybody’s got the funky backgrounds,” said Michael Currenz.
Karen Stafford, president of Arizona President of Employers Council, says it’s easy to get too comfortable while working from home and you want to make sure that you’re maintaining a professional presence.
“Can I lose out on a promotion if I’m inappropriate on a Zoom call? You bet," Stafford said.
Some other examples of etiquette violations:
- Using your phone
- Eating
- Not sitting still
One thing you definitely don’t want to do, is this: “I think the craziest thing I’ve seen is like people chugging bottles of alcohol on Zoom in front of our professors,” Grace Burry said.
While virtual meetings have been helpful—most of the people we talked to would still rather meet face to face, at least when it’s safe to do so again.
Stafford also suggested dressing professionally, take breaks in between meetings and try to set yourself up in a quiet place at home so you don’t get easily distracted.