A majority (80 per cent) of U.S. remote workers say they’re experiencing some level of ‘Zoom fatigue,’ according to a survey by Honest Paws, a pet wellness goods supplier.
The survey, which polled 400 employees who’ve been working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, found 28 per cent are feeling somewhat fatigued, 29 per cent are moderately fatigued and 23 per cent are extremely fatigued. Only a few respondents noted they’ve experienced little (13 per cent) to no fatigue at all (seven per cent). Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) said their ‘Zoom fatigue’ is higher than it’s ever been and 29 per cent said it’s increased since 2021.
More than half (56 per cent) of respondents said their fatigue stems from meetings that run too long, while some noted they’re participating in virtual meetings multiple times a week (35 per cent) or multiple times a day (17 per cent). Slightly more than a third (35 per cent) said they only have 30 minutes or less between meetings. And 55 per cent of respondents said they attend more meetings now than they did when they worked in person.
Read: 44% of remote workers logging more hours during pandemic: survey
When asked what other factors are contributing to fatigue, survey respondents cited having to stare at a screen for long periods of time (52 per cent), meetings that serve no purpose (49 per cent), constantly seeing video feed of themselves (38 per cent), limited movement (36 per cent) and increased amount of eye contact (35 per cent).
To manage their fatigue and prevent burnout, respondents noted they often take an exercise break (49 per cent), pause for lunch (47 per cent) or simply turn off their video during Zoom meetings (43 per cent). Three-quarters (75 per cent) said they’ve declined a meeting simply because they didn’t feel like attending, blaming their absence on internet problems (32 per cent), scheduling conflicts (28 per cent), sick days (27 per cent), power outages (26 per cent), issues with the Zoom app (26 per cent), computer updates (22 per cent) and doctor’s appointments (20 per cent).
On the bright side, the survey found about half (48 per cent) of respondents said seeing a co-workers’ dog during a virtual meeting lessens their work-related stress, while 51 per cent said a dog’s appearance goes as far as to make these meetings more enjoyable for them, beating out meetings that last less than 15 minutes (48 per cent) and funny stories/jokes (34 per cent).
Read: Head to head: Should remote working continue after the pandemic?