3 common problems of Zoom fatigue for small business owners

The excess of video conferences is a new factor of physical, psychological, and emotional burnout. Zoom is one of the best resources that emerged during the isolation caused by the pandemic, but if not managed carefully, it can have harmful effects on small business owners and employees alike, such as stress and feelings of overwhelm.

Small Business Owner’s Overwhelm

What is Zoom fatigue?

Zoom fatigue is defined as a state of exhaustion, tiredness, and boredom that a user may feel when attending multiple meetings, classes, or online events during the day. Small business owners, who are perhaps one of the groups that have used these tools the most, are the ones who should be more careful with the stress, overwhelm and burnout caused indirectly by platforms like Zoom. These effects can be detrimental to a working environment, especially if they are used regularly.

What are its symptoms?

• Concentration difficulties.
• Physical exhaustion.
• Anxiety.
• Irritability.
• Headaches.
• Eye strain.

3 problems of Zoom fatigue and good practices to fight it

1. Feelings of overwhelm

Joining video conferences can be stressful, especially if they are long or one after the other. Adding virtual meetings to everyday tasks can create feelings of overwhelm. So, before the meetings, it is important that small business owners ask themselves “why are we meeting?” Also, before making interventions during the meetings you should ask yourselves “how am I contributing to the team by saying what I am thinking?” The idea is that the video conferences help improve work performance and that each comment is truly relevant for the organization.

2. Burnout

Trying to keep an eye on several activities simultaneously causes exhaustion, and if you are in a meeting it may even look like you have no interest in it. As a small business owner, you should focus only on the video conference. A way to feel more productive and reduce burnout could be, for example, to use the mornings for everyday work tasks and the afternoons for video conferences and virtual meetings. Having a fixed work schedule is vital. Taking a moment for each thing will help you have a better life.

3. Stress

Stress has increased considerably during the pandemic. By mixing work tasks with our daily routines by spending most of the time in our homes, our professional lives can affect more directly our personal lives. Before starting to talk about the main topic of the meeting, small business owners should say hello, ask the team members how they are doing, how they feel, if something relevant happened outside the workplace. It is about knowing more about the coworkers and also talking about your own problems (as appropriate) and thus strengthening ties of trust. This sets the stage for a more relaxed and genuine work conversation.

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