{"id":134422,"date":"2021-02-15T11:53:04","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T10:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=134422"},"modified":"2021-02-15T11:53:04","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T10:53:04","slug":"video-call-etiquette-working-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/video-call-etiquette-working-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Video call etiquette when working from home"},"content":{"rendered":"

The etiquette of work video calls should now be ingrained in the majority of our minds forever as working from home<\/a> has been a daily reality for much of the PR and comms industry for almost a full year now. <\/strong><\/p>\n

However, there are still dangers that go beyond being told \u2018you\u2019re on mute\/can you mute \u2013 I can hear you breathing\u2019 if you aren\u2019t vigilant during a call. Here are five of them, and some examples to illustrate the horrors in store for those who aren\u2019t careful\u2026<\/p>\n

1) Make sure you know how to remove filters and effects AKA don\u2019t be a cat<\/span><\/strong>
\nTexas lawyer Rob Ponton knows this one well<\/a> after going viral last week when finding himself unable to remove a video filter that turned him into a kitten with creepy eyes during a hearing conducted over video. Potato filter fan Lizet Ocampo can tell you, too<\/a>. If your video chat platform for work is also one you use for keeping in touch with friends\/family\/kitten-with-creepy-eyes or potato enthusiasts, make sure you\u2019ve removed any filters before you pick up a work call. Unless your line manager is very forgiving, or has the same interests. Similarly, make sure your display name is not still a private or inappropriate joke<\/a> from the weekend\u2019s quiz.<\/p>\n

2) Pick the right place for picking up work video calls AKA not the bathroom <\/span><\/strong>
\nNew Jersey school board member Frances Cogelja knows the trouble of taking your Zoom call to the wrong room<\/a>, after having to resign following her bathroom break broadcast during a digital meeting. After so long working from home, we probably all have a place picked out for our video work calls – just don\u2019t be tempted to change location mid-meeting\u2026<\/p>\n

3) Check your background is appropriate AKA don\u2019t leave anything too interesting on the shelves behind you<\/span><\/strong>
\nAnd while we\u2019re on the subject of picking out the most appropriate place in the home for picking up work video calls, a plain wall or a bookshelf featuring your most high-brow books are perfect backdrops. Just don\u2019t do like Yvette Amos when appearing on BBC Wales<\/a>, who had an x-rated \u2018ornament\u2019 taking pride of place on her bookshelf background \u2013 at least, not when you\u2019re on the clock.<\/p>\n

4) Mute\/unmute appropriately AKA don\u2019t complain about the Prime Minster over a hot mic<\/span><\/strong>
\nGrumbling about something your boss or a colleague has just said is a no go in person, and it\u2019s no different digitally. Because no matter how careful you are with that mute button, mistakes happen, a la Laura Kuenssberg\u2019s mishap during a Downing Street coronavirus press conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5) Don\u2019t speak over others AKA be as respectful to your colleagues as you would be to Jackie Weaver <\/span><\/strong>
\nPicking up on social cues can be extra-tough when speaking digitally \u2013 particularly when it comes to determining when it is your time to talk if temperatures are high, or everyone has a lot to say. But speaking over other people to get your point across isn\u2019t it, as the disrespectful members of Handforth parish council\u2019s planning and environment committee<\/a> now know for sure. Give people their time to speak, or risk being kicked out of the call by the Jackie Weaver of your working life.<\/p>\n

6) Let your pets in the frame sometimes AKA do like Toulouse and Katie Collins would do<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nWhile ensuring children stay out of your work calls is an unavoidable difficulty of modern parenting (just ask Professor Robert Kelly<\/a> and, well, anyone working with children in the vicinity<\/a>), there are other frequently uninvited attendees of video chats, everywhere \u2013 pets. But unlike kids, who have homework to do, cats, dogs, rabbits and hamsters have nowhere else to be, so consider letting them walk into frame every now and again \u2013 your colleagues will likely thank you for it (even those who are allergic \u2013 there are some pros to video calls, after all).<\/p>\n

Want more tips for digital working? Here are eight tips for moving your event online<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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