Recently I was the guest speaker at a virtual lunch-and-learn. One hundred and fifty people logged on and all but three had their cameras off—including the CEO. Dozens failed to join the breakouts, leaving me wondering if they were even there. During the Q&A I spoke to a sea of disembodied voices on a screen of black squares. I had no idea who I was talking to, or even how many. Turning off your camera is the digital equivalent of showing up at an in-person meeting with a bag over your head. But the CHRO shrugged it off: “We’re just an off-camera culture.”
Virtual meetings were a saving grace in 2020, enabling face-to-face connection when meeting in person was impossible. But what seemed temporary then is now permanent. More than 80% of American workers are either fully or partially onsite, yet the number of virtual meetings increased by more than 60% between 2020 and 2022, continuing to steadily rise.
New research reveals that an employee’s approach to virtual meetings is strongly correlated with retention. From 2022 to 2023, departing employees disabled their cameras nearly twice as often as those remaining employed. An even larger percentage never unmuted their microphones. In short, once they failed to show up on screen, they ultimately failed to show up at work.
When you disengage, it's hard to re-engage. And it doesn't have to be that way. Gallup found that 42% of workers who quit in the past year said their bosses could have prevented their departure. Maybe inviting them to turn on their cameras and engage would have been a good start?
Turning off your camera is a clear and convincing signal that you have more important things to do, you intend to multitask and you simply don’t care about what’s being discussed. Throwing away a chance to connect with colleagues is like punting your career. Virtual meetings aren't perfect, but neither are face-to-face meetings. Regardless of the medium, meetings require attention and respect. Here are three things you can do to change your mindset about virtual meetings and make them work for you.
Be Camera-Ready: The New Dress For Success
Above all, turn on your camera. But effective participation in virtual meetings requires even more. Invest in decent lighting to bring your face into view and reduce harsh glare. If your company won't spring for a ring light, position a lamp behind your screen that shines light on your face. If there's a window behind you you can use a piece of white card stock to shine the reflection back on your face. Make your voice clear with a good microphone. Speaking up is more productive when you can be clearly heard. And take care with your background. I worked with a woman who bought an inexpensive folding screen to put behind her chair for her virtual meetings. It functioned like a wall with a pleasing design that looked professional and attractive. In a pinch, the prefab backgrounds work better than the blur feature. When your background is fuzzy, it's human nature to wonder what you are hiding, ultimately distracting from anything you might say. How you appear on camera is a vital element of the impression you make. Your choices are today's version of “dress for success,'' your professional “uniform.” Taking the time to get it right sends the message that your work, your colleagues and how you show up in the world matters to you.
Ditch The Toxic Nostalgia
We lament the loss of in person meetings, nostalgic for a mythical past. Let’s be clear. We've never liked meetings, long before they went virtual. Looking back through decades of management literature, complaints about the uselessness of meetings are ubiquitous. In 1967, business guru Peter Drucker decried the time wasted in unnecessary meetings: “Meetings are by definition a concession to a deficient organization. For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time.” Just last week, The Atlantic published the identical sentiment, describing a typical meeting as a “leaky time suck,” where communication eclipses creativity, leaving little time for actual work. It seems little has changed in the last 50 years. It's easy to blame technology for your meeting malaise, but you'd be wrong. Meetings have never been perfect—too much time for too little reward. The problem isn't the medium, it's the fact that not all meetings are the same. Some need to be in person, while some do not. Develop a strategic approach to each meeting, driven by its purpose. Deep brainstorming and debate need human to human attention, as do moments when meaningful collaboration drives the best outcome. Quick check-ins and report outs may be preferable virtually—they are efficient and less disruptive. If the latter is the right choice, do it right. It's better to have fewer good virtual meetings (when you need them) than to blow them all off with disregard and disengagement.
Take Charge Of Your Meeting Experience
You may not be able to dictate how many meetings you're expected to attend, but you can control how you use those meetings. If you don’t need to be there, find a way to decline. If that’s not possible then go in with a clear strategy. Consider the exchange of information that will make the meeting a success. Ask questions to keep yourself focused and shape the direction of the conversation. Being intentional about what you need from the meeting—for your own work or your team—will sharpen your attention. Remove as many distractions as you can—close other windows, resist the temptation to quickly check email, move your phone, and go full screen to keep yourself from getting caught up in something else. Everyone can see when you multitask, even if you think you’re brilliant at it. To be respectful of those around you, anything but an emergency must wait. And don’t give up on casual interactions—use the chat to say hello to someone in the meeting, or, if you can, start the meeting with a more personal discussion before digging right into business. The screen may be flat, but the people aren’t. Finally, if seeing yourself distracts or disturbs you, turn off the self view. The more you can make a virtual meeting have the attributes of an in-person meeting (where you don’t see yourself), the better. If you focus on the meeting rather than the medium, the chances for both satisfaction and success improve markedly.
There may be far too many meetings in your work week. That’s a huge—but different—problem. When you need to meet with others, make the best of the channel you have. Sure, virtual meetings aren’t great. But sometimes they’re all we have, and they can be a lot quicker and more convenient than commuting. In a world marked by isolation and burnout, we can’t afford to spurn any channel for interpersonal connection. Or reject a chance to engage with a colleague to deepen trust and build a stronger working relationship. When it comes to virtual meetings, the medium is not the message. Instead of accepting an off-camera culture, choose to show up and be seen. Better to cancel a meeting altogether than fade to black.
First Published on Forbes.com.
