How to reduce the impact in a remote world.

It’s been over four years since the world switched to online calls, meetings and training. We have heard the debate between hybrid working and coming back to offices to promote connections and build relationships, but what is the mental impact of virtual video interactions?  

Last year, I had started to really feel the mental fatigue and impact on my mood of constantly seeing myself in self-view. In a couple of meetings, I decided to turn off my self-view, especially when it was a one-to-one call, and I instantly noticed an internal change. I felt less self-conscious, more confident and able to focus as though I was having an actual in person interaction. I felt the shift in my mood levels as soon as I turned my camera off. As humans, we are not built to be constantly seeing ourselves, that is when our critical voice or self-consciousness can start to grow and become mentally damaging. Seeing your own reflection, looking for the things you are not happy with or need to improve, does make it harder to fully focus on a conversation, you can get caught off guard, especially when you haven’t ‘made an effort’ with your appearance.

Interestingly, a recent study by the University of Galway reported how looking at one’s own face during virtual calls can actually cause higher levels of mental fatigue –  ‘people often report feeling exhausted by video conference meetings. Our study shows that those feelings of fatigue you get during video calls are real, and seeing your own reflection makes it even more tiring.’

Another study cited in the journal Nature (2023) reported that the results from the study suggest that face-to-face communication indeed differs significantly from digital communication in terms of mental health. The authors speculated that video calls ‘can cause adverse effects such as mental tiredness…anxiety due to a focus on appearance, prolonged eye contact…and cognitive burden due to the slight technological asynchrony of video calls’.

Given that research is showing the adverse effects of being on screen, should we be shifting away from video calls?

Living in a connected and remote world has had so many benefits as seen in multiple industries such as coaching and many, many others where you can work with clients across the globe as we have all learnt to interact on screen and still achieve the outcomes. For many, online interactions are safer and more convenient depending on their life circumstances, including those struggling with their mental health, or a physical illness or disability, so it’s a great way to still engage with others, and it supports inclusivity and creates accessibility. 

So, is the solution to create the right balance for individuals?  

People are experiencing ‘zoom fatigue’ and so online interactions might last less time than in person, which might actually be effective, when managing the amount of time spent in meetings? Organisations taking a flexible approach will potentially be the ones reporting higher employee engagement or employee wellbeing. In a report by the CIPD, 38% of organisations reported home/hybrid working had actually increased the organisation’s productivity and efficiency. The report also showed that there are many wider positive impacts of hybrid working, where improved employee wellbeing was reported by 43% of respondents. So, there is a clear benefit to promoting hybrid and flexible working where positive results on wellbeing can be demonstrated.

It’s not always possible to have human interaction every day, but online interactions are better than no interactions at all, people still build communities and a sense of belonging from online groups. Many forged strong relationships during the pandemic that continue today. 

If organisations can empower their employees to dictate how much time they spend on video calls, the ability to turn the camera off or promote the use of turning off self-view, this could be a real game changer in the workplace. Open and honest conversations about the impact of spending extended time on video calls need to be factored and considered as unique to each individual as there isn’t a one size fits all. 

About the Author

Anita Guru is an Occupational Psychologist, Coach and Motivational Speaker. She supports individuals, organisations, and their employees to build resilience and achieve positive mental fitness through one-to-one coaching, psychoeducation, and storytelling. She has a career spanning almost 20 years within Learning & Development across organisations such as Deloitte, Centrica, Coca Cola European Partners & BDO. She brings an open, human and authentic approach to her work to create meaningful connections to support development.