The Impact of the “Zoom Fatigue” Phenomenon and Ways of Managing It

Abstract

The context of the COVID 19 pandemic has forced managers and entrepreneurs to review how they run their businesses and guide their employees. The new normality has brought with it a number of challenges and changes that have produced immediate and profound effects both in the way business is conducted, the online negotiations giving a formal and less human character, and in the way the employees perceive the work carried out exclusively online. Research has revealed a new phenomenon called "Zoom Fatigue" which is reflected in the human psyche through exhaustion and burnout, a phenomenon caused by the intensity and long duration of video calls and frequent online meetings. Additional cognitive processes required by video calls, the concentration required to absorb all the information transmitted, the lack of visual breaks, multitasking, as well as the merging of professional activity with the familiar environment from the comfort of our home, have led to psychological consequences, such as pronounced fatigue, exhaustion or irritation. All these effects are felt differently by men and women, the latter suffering more from videoconferencing and online work. At the same time, extroverts were found to be less tired than introverted people, feeling the effects of the "Zoom Fatigue" phenomenon differently. For the proper conduct of work and for the creation of a healthy organizational climate and an ethical organizational culture, the role of managers in knowing employees at a human level is of outmost importance, in order to best manage such situations and to identify appropriate measures for motivation and support aimed in particular at female and vulnerable personnel. Orientation towards setting a precise schedule for organizing video conferencing, recommending to avoid multitasking and reducing on-screen stimulus, setting visual breaks, avoiding the use of video calls in their spare time are some of the measures that managers can implement among their employees.