You May Get Fired Due To A Zoom-Call Slip-Up...

Zoom-call slip-ups can threaten your career. 

Almost one in four executives have fired a staff member for messing up during a video or audio conference, and most have resulted in some form of disciplinary action. Vyopta Inc surveyed 200 U.S. executives with minimum seniority of V.P. at companies of 500+ employees. The survey reflected the disciplinary action led by executives from virtual-meeting miscues.

Vyopta's findings convey how workers are still adjusting to working remotely. Furthermore, Zoom calls rose from 10 million a day at the end of 2019 to 300 million in April 2020. U.S. companies have postponed their plans to return to offices due to the spread of the delta variant. Moreover, NSW, Australia is still under lockdown, and remote working is still favourable to those whose jobs allow it.  

Virtual meeting slip-ups can include: 

• Having a bad internet connection.
• Joining a call late.
• Sharing sensitive information.
• Not knowing when to mute yourself. 

The surveys found that these slip-ups can lead to losing clients, sales opportunities, or missed deadlines.

Zoom Video Communications Inc. shares were down about 16% last week. The forecast was primarily due to schools starting in-person learning in parts of the world and people going back to their workplace.

Zoom-Call Etiquette Tips 

Turn On The Camera

Show that you're present. If you're worried about the mess in your room, you can add a digital background to blur or be replaced by a picture. 

Be On Time

The same rule applies online, don't be late to a meeting. You don't need to travel anywhere so being on time is expected. 

Don't Eat And Talk 

Try not to eat while you're on a call. If you have to, mute your mic.

Try To Find A Quiet Space 

Try and be mindful of where you're doing your calls. Find a quiet space in your home and mute yourself until you need to speak. Let everyone know that you're in a meeting in your household, so other people don't do anything inappropriate in the background. 

Focus On The Meeting 

Try not to get distracted by doing other work whilst on call. Otherwise, you may get asked a question and have no idea what it is in regards to. 

Be Mindful Of The Lighting And That You're In Frame 

If you want to maintain professionalism: Be mindful of your lighting and make sure that you're in the proper frame of the camera. Don't have half your face cut off.

Look directly into the camera. You'll be able to give eye contact to the people you're talking to. 

Be Prepared And Avoid Technical Difficulties

Test your internet connection and see if you're experiencing any technical difficulties. This allows you to troubleshoot before going into a meeting. 

The Host Should Be The Last One To Leave

The host should be the last one to leave to avoid people getting cut-off and answer any questions someone may have at the end of the meeting. 

How do you present yourself online? Workplace expectations carry through to remote working. If you have any questions or concerns about remote working, you should talk to your manager.

If you're interested in boosting your productivity, check out our article "4 Steps to IMPROVE your productivity".

Keep communicating,

Kobi Simmat