Have you ever found yourself half asleep behind your laptop during yet another Zoom meeting? This is not due to the high workload or because you need coffee. Online meetings really make you more tired than when you are in a real meeting room with your team. That’s because you are understimulated.
That is one of the most important results a new study to sleepiness during virtual work appointments. Previous studies stated that fatigue during and after online meetings is caused by mental overload. But scientists from the Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, therefore come to a completely different conclusion.
Office tigers under the microscope
They conducted their studies at a few large companies. “The participants in our study worked in the R&D (research & development) departments of two large multinationals. A total of 44 people participated in the study, of whom 31 were men and 13 were women, with an average age of 38 years. Seventeen of them performed a management function, 27 worked as experts in their field. We examined 400 digital work agreements. These were all R&D related meetings. More than half of the test subjects are known to be very committed to their work,” explains researcher Niina Nurmi of the Aalto University off on Scientias.nl.
Involvement keeps you alert
The variation in heart rate was then measured during the appointments. “I expected people to be stressed during the remote meetings, but the opposite turned out to be the case. Especially the people who were known as not being particularly involved in their work quickly became drowsy during the virtual appointments,” says Nurmi. “We combined the physiological data with questionnaires about their efforts and the way in which the participants view their work. Employees who are enthusiastic and highly involved in their work hardly become dazed during online meetings. They do manage to stay alert, unlike their less involved colleagues,” says the researcher.
Camera off, multitasking on
The use of the camera also appeared to influence how boring employees found it. “If the camera was turned off during a meeting, the understimulation became even greater. As a result, the participants’ attention shifted to other things (multitasking), in an attempt to experience more mental stimulation and boost their energy levels,” Nurmi explains.
Short and concise discussions, with a limited group
Fortunately, something can be done about it. The Finnish lead researcher has some advice to tackle the dazed feeling during virtual meetings. “Digital appointments with large groups of people are not efficient, participants easily fall asleep. You only see a few conversation participants clearly on the screen, the rest are hidden away in very small boxes. This is inconvenient, because in this setup it is not possible to see people’s reactions.” Nurmi also has clear ideas about the ideal length. “An ideal digital working appointment takes less than half an hour. Participants get tired after just ten minutes, so keep it short and encourage discussion.”
Afterwards, the negative effects of a poorly executed digital meeting are still noticeable. “We discovered that employee inactivity during a meeting leads to fatigue. The employees also performed 21 percent worse on cognitive tests that we administered after the virtual appointments. In addition, it is always better to send information in text form, then it will be remembered much better by the participants.”
Give feedback and don’t stare at yourself
Furthermore, participants must continue to provide feedback. “It is difficult to do that remotely, but it is important. Nodding, giving thumbs up and sending other emojis helps to increase participant activity. Don’t stare at yourself during the meeting. It is better to keep the camera on, but remove your own image from the screen. And finally: when people see someone else multitasking on the camera, it is very distracting and they are inclined to look at their mobile phone, check their email or do other things. Particularly if their camera is turned off, participants in a virtual meeting are triggered to look for entertainment elsewhere,” says the researcher.
Can be easily combined with a walk
In fact, only highly automated activities go well with an online meeting. “Walking can boost your energy levels while helping you focus on the meeting. But it is not possible to focus on two things at the same time, both of which require your cognitive attention. Then you miss important topics in the online conversation. You then have to constantly switch in your head, which is a very difficult task for your brain,” concludes Nurmi.
