5 tips on how to survive Zoom office overdose
Second wave of Covid is just getting going and many more Zoom hours are to be endured.
Remote Work experts let us in on their secrets how to survive Zoom and Gloom and emerge with your team energised at the end of pandemic
Walk and talk with Bose
I do most of my Zoom calls while walking my two Springer spaniels on Hampstead Heath. Unless the team needs to look at the slides, there is no need to be at the desk starring into the screen full of faces, lovely as they are. Walking energises my brain, fresh air gives your energy and keeps the dogs happy! Use Bose headphones so people don’t hear air whistling or Autumn leaves cracking under your feat. Keep the sessions short, 45min should be enough to cover your topics if you prepare your agenda in advance.
David Rowe (CEO of Hydro66.com, pioneer of sustainable Internet, running datacentres that is using the power of water as energy for the servers)
On Zoom, everyone is naked
Simon Halberstam (Head of IT Law practice at Simons Muirhead & Burton) noted at the last week Tech London Advocates (Remote Working Group) that Zoom is only a compromise, so to support better human contact, we should be more open and allow people into our homes virtually. Virtual backgrounds were all the rage in the initial stages of Remote Working but now it is your kids, dogs and home décor that make you 3-dimensional. Also, keep Zoom-networking with your clients, nurture the relationships with investors and stay open and transparent.
No office? No problem
Tom Godber – Recruitment expert from The Highfield Partners argues that on Zoom it is hard to recruit top candidates, you can’t show off your swanky office in plush London or New York location. The candidate will not see your panoramic views or be dazzled with a lush bouquet in the reception.
Your dazzling will need to be done thru sheer efficiency and trust-building touchpoints. Before Zoom interview, make sure you send great videos, engage the candidate with informative and ‘grabbing’ stories about your business on the Website. Bring more colleagues to Zoom interview for a more diverse view, also an opportunity for the candidate to ‘gel’ with more people, to connect emotionally. Zoom is convenient but make sure the candidate would have seen more material beforehand, including blogs sharing company values, videos and other content.
Work is where your laptop is
Tracey Pereira (Former KPMG Transformation Director) recommends that Remote Working through Zoom opens up the recruitment field to more diverse group of candidates. Innovation is often the result of increased mix of people on the team, and now is the best time to push this along. If your people can be anywhere in the world and work on Zoom, you may reach out to candidates of higher quality that would not be interested in being tied to a London office location. Consider impact of different time zones though as teams must meet up on Zoom in synchronous way
Zoom and Boom!
My tip for better audio and screen is Neat hardware.
For virtual band practice with your Tuba at home you can use Neat Bar, from @Neat_no, hot designers of meeting room systems for Zoom. Neat develops top end hardware with high res screens and the best audio systems for your office Zoom rooms – it makes a massive difference when you have hybrid in-the-office team working simultanously with a number of remote colleagues on Zoom.
Tip: check if quality of camera is good at the other end as Apple released inferior cameras for their MacBook Air -test the model and look up forums for specs before buying for your team. If camera is really bad, you can always up it with external camera from Logitech Pro C 920
Next Week – testing external microphones and podcasting set up and how to set up large online events
