Zoom fatigue is real! What it means for the remote working ecosystem?

Eric Yuan, the head of video-telephoning platform Zoom, which has become a ubiquitous technology since the outbreak of the pandemic, has conceded that there is such a thing as ‘Zoom fatigue’.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal on May 4, Eric Yuan said that he has personally experienced Zoom fatigue; it happened when he had to attend 19 Zoom meetings in a row last year.

Stating that he now avoids back-to-back Zoom calls, the Zoom CEO said: “I’m so tired of that…. I do have meeting fatigue.”

And he is not alone in this. Several other top executives in America echo his thoughts, including the CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Employers have reportedly started souring on certain aspects of remote working after almost one and a half years of virtual meetings necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the WSJ report, banking and technology executives are now hesitant about letting workers do their jobs entirely from home. While the idea of flexible work arrangements as the way forward still sounds promising, there is no ruling out that nonstop video calls are leading to burnout.

So, like many other companies, Zoom is also looking at an eventual return to the workplace. Eric Yuan is exploring the idea of a system where employees will be asked to report to work twice a week and work from home on the remaining days.

JP Morgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, who has himself been back in the office for months, said more of his employees are coming back to the office from May as he is phasing back his workforce into offices. However, he said, most of them are not happy with the decision.

But Dimon said: “Remote work doesn’t work well for generating new ideas, preserving corporate culture, and competing for clients—or for those who want to hustle.”

He added: “I’m about to cancel all my Zoom meetings…. I’m done with it.”

The JP Morgan CEO said: “Yes, people don’t like commuting, but so what?... We want people back at work and my view is sometime in September, October, it will look just like it did before.”

Ellen Kullman, CEO of 3-D printing startup Carbon Inc, commented on the scenario and said: “Some employees have got so used to remote work that they never want to go back to an office.”

“While employees should have some input, they alone won’t decide how work evolves,” she added.

Kullman further said: “I might be old school, but I’m a believer that over time it will migrate back to a more in-person environment. It is not a democracy. We are not going to vote.”

Adena Friedman, Chief Executive, Nasdaq Inc, said in the days to come, employers may have to “encourage and entice employees to come back into the city” with more flexible work and commute arrangements.