Women@Work: What you need to know about working from home

For Women, The Consequences of Zoom Fatigue Are More Pronounced

In my last post, Optimize Your Virtual Work Performance, I cited a Stanford University study on Zoom fatigue that details the four primary reasons we all feel so exhausted after a day of Zoom meetings. Lead researcher, Professor Jeremy Bailenson, argues that even though virtual meetings do a lot of good, there are limitations to the technology that impact our cognitive ability, physical mobility, and job performance.

Unfortunately, additional data published this spring reveals that the adverse effects of Zoom are worse for women than they are for men. In fact, 13.8% of women, compared with 5.5% of men, “reported feeling ‘very’ to ‘extremely’ fatigued after Zoom calls.”

It’s Time to Turn Off “Self-View”

The study points to a phenomenon called “self-focused” attention as a primary driver behind why Zoom fatigue is so much worse for women. When the researchers asked female study participants how distracted or concerned they were about their appearance; the responses were “consistent with existing research that shows women have a greater propensity to self-focus than men when they are in the presence of a mirror.”

Plus, if you have self-view turned on, it’s easy to feel like you’re perpetually in speaker mode, even if you’re not talking. And when you spend the entire meeting staring at yourself, your unconscious assumption is that everyone else is too. As a result, whatever you’re most insecure about becomes magnified, making it impossible to focus on the topic at hand.

Zoom Meetings Create Connection Challenges

Women are great at making connections in the room. Unfortunately, the elements that make us such excellent connectors are no longer present in a virtual setting. We miss out on the non-verbal cues that naturally make us feel supported by colleagues. And because of the latency effect in Zoom, it’s much easier to feel excluded from the conversation. 

This is a particular issue for women from marginalized groups who are already frequently overlooked and excluded at in-person meetings. Being heard and finding allies is much more difficult on Zoom because you can’t read the room or make eye contact. 

Additionally, the Stanford study mentions that meetings led by women tend to run longer than meetings led by men. While the researchers don’t explain why, my theory is that women have an intrinsic, often culturally ingrained need to connect. We’re raised to caretake and facilitate relationships. Zoom makes both harder, so we need more time. 

The Solutions Reveal - and Reinforce - Inequality

Stanford presents some solutions that seem simple enough, but they assume a level of privilege that isn’t always present. Not everyone who was forced to start working at home last year has a dedicated office space or the financial resources to buy ergonomically correct office equipment. Nor are they always in the position to request more breaks throughout the day.

Additionally, because most daily chores and childcare still fall to women in many households, their workday is far more taxing. As a result, they have fewer opportunities to take breaks even when they’re offered. In an ideal world, you would have your hour-long meeting, take a proper 15-minute break, and then get on with your work.

But in reality, women often spend that “free 15 minutes” fixing a meal for someone else, folding laundry, or helping a child with school work.

To Stay At Home Or Go Back to the Office

Despite the Delta variant, many companies are planning at least a partial return to the office before the end of the year. I’ve heard plenty of women say that they don’t want to go back even for a few days a month because they want to avoid traffic.

But the time you saved on your commute last year was immediately eaten up by chores and childcare. So though you may spend a little more of your day on the road, you will have more uninterrupted work time in your office. 

Additionally, it’s much harder to fight harassment and inequality or advocate for women and POC when you’re remote. Picking up on unconscious bias and microaggressions in the conference room is already a challenge. Zoom doesn’t make it any easier. 

Whether to stay home or go back to the office is a personal decision. But when it comes time to make that choice, consider more than just commute time and gas expenses. Ask yourself, “Is the inequality I’m already facing going to increase or decrease?” In the end, there might be more benefits to going back, even if only for a few days a week.

But if you see yourself working remotely for a good long time, it’s a great idea to learn how to maximize your setup so that your colleagues can see you in your best light – literally and figuratively! I recently started offering Zoom makeover services with an expert to my clients as part of my coaching packages. Contact me to learn more.

First published Aug 31, 2021