Team Members Who Turn Off Their Cameras During Virtual Calls

Good leaders do their best to adapt to the needs of their team. Maintaining a flexible approach as the workplace continues to evolve is as much about survival as it is about effectiveness. There is a new world order in the workplace, and leaders must stay abreast of trends, expectations, and needs. 

The dependence on video or virtual calls to conduct team meetings isn’t going away. Virtual calls offer too many advantages for efficiency, from reduced commute or travel time to savings in travel and meeting costs. Even for organizations that have returned to the office for most or all of the week, virtual calls still serve an important purpose to connect those who sit in other locations or are traveling during important meetings. 

Those who attend video calls do everyone a favor when they go on mute to avoid having background noise overwhelm the conversation. Another option frequently taken is to turn off the video function and just participate vocally. 

Leaders are often disappointed in this choice but accept it as a workable way to get everyone to join the call. Of course, it is usually the same people who don’t appear on video, and they unintentionally encourage others to do the same. On many calls, it is only a handful of people who speak to each other face-to-face on video, while everyone else operates in the background, off-screen. 

There are good reasons why a team member might make the choice to be off video. Poor or weak connection is one. Moving about or driving is another. Operating in a different time zone where one is just awake and disheveled seems like a reasonable excuse. 

These exceptions aside, when one or more team members choose to engage without the camera on, they change the dynamic of the interaction. The benefit of the technology is largely negated when multiple team members can’t see the visual cues of others that are so important to interpretation and communication. 

Accepting that team members will make different choices regarding video seems reasonable, but it actually works to undermine team interaction. Team members who are off video make fewer comments, are generally less engaged, and are often overlooked during the discussion. Similar to those team members who are dialed in on the phone during live or face-to-face meetings, they become largely an afterthought or ignored altogether. 

A better rule for most teams and leaders is to ask people to engage fully and turn the camera on unless there is a very good reason not to. The default shouldn’t be, “It is up to you.” 

Good leaders understand the impact facial cues and gestures, even on video, have on the meanings people ascribe to one another. They also know that face-to-face interaction fosters appreciation and deeper understanding within the team. 

Giving people the flexibility to participate in video or virtual calls is a great convenience for everyone. Requesting that team members take full advantage of the technology and to appear on video isn’t a big ask. 

Face-to-face interaction, even through video, fosters stronger connections between team members and encourages more active engagement with the issues. Individual preferences should never be held in higher regard than what the team needs to be the most effective.