Virtual Fatigue

What is Virtual Fatigue? | Common Signs & Symptoms of Virtual Fatigue | Causes & Risk Factors of Virtual Fatigue | Dealing with Virtual Fatigue | FAQ

Virtual Fatigue (aka Zoom Fatigue) is the sense of strain, tiredness, or even burnout after hours of communicating with your colleagues or teammates over video conferences.

Studies have found that brainwave markers associated with overwork and stress are significantly higher in video meetings than in non-meeting work like writing emails. Due to high levels of sustained concentration, fatigue begins to set in about 30-40 minutes into a meeting; and stress starts to set in about two hours into a day by thinking about a day filled with video meetings [1].

If you are experiencing the following over a period of time, you might be struggling with Virtual Fatigue:

• Avoiding, cancelling or rescheduling online meetings. 
• A strong urge to spend time alone after meetings.
• Feeling drained at the end of a meeting.
• Feeling like you are behind and less able to handle your usual work responsibilities.
• Eyes feeling strained and heavy from looking at your screen for too long.
• Experiencing recurring headaches or migraines.

Research suggests several factors leading to this sense of meeting fatigue [1]:

• having to focus continuously on the screen to extract relevant information while staying engaged
• the reduced non-verbal cues that help you read the room or know whose turn it is to talk
• screen sharing with very little view of the people you are interacting with

Virtual meetings require attendees to process an unusually large amount of visual and auditory cues — such as the gallery view on video calls where we see every participant’s faces at a glance — and auditory data from multiple sources over a sustained time period. This poses an extra challenge for the brain because of the high levels of cognitive load that attendees subconsciously manage — where they have to gather and process information from multiple video feeds as well as information about their own physical surroundings all at once, which can be overwhelming and exhausting if done over prolonged periods [2].

The lack of or reduced nonverbal cues also imposes additional load. Nonverbal cues serve as a crucial means to gather additional information not present via verbal communication [3]. The lack of or reduced presence of nonverbal cues would entail greater work on the attendee’s part to decipher the meanings and intentions of other speakers present. 

Furthermore, prolonged periods of eye contact and the overloading of faces on screen is unnatural. Seeing our own faces as we talk or listen can result in a hyper-awareness of how we appear or emote which induces additional stress [2].

Despite the distance between you and your colleagues, the need for communication does not dwindle. With the increased usage of video conferencing platforms to maintain lines of communication [4], virtual fatigue is one of the biggest downsides of remote working.

Transitions between virtual meetings, when done with no breaks, can cause significant stress. Back-to-back virtual meetings stretch the concentration of attendees, which can weaken their focus and engagement levels. 

Research has shown that virtual fatigue is definitely real, but it can also be counteracted by taking breaks. Take regular breaks every two hours, limit meetings to 30 minutes, or punctuate long meetings with small breaks when possible to allow attendees brain breathing space to recharge [1].

Thinking that you can use the opportunity to do more on your screen at one time is easy, but doing so stretches your concentration levels. The next time you are on a video call, close any tabs or programs that might distract you (e.g., email notifications, Slack, etc.), put your phone away, and stay present on one task.

Even when working remotely, it is important to remember that not every meeting needs to be conducted through a virtual meeting software. Sometimes it is more efficient (and less tiring) to share information with a phone call, email or chat thread.