Videoconference fatigue? Exploring changes in fatigue after videoconference meetings during COVID-19.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Occupational Health
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to remote work, increasing reliance on videoconferencing.
• Videoconference fatigue emerged as a discussed phenomenon, characterized by exhaustion linked to virtual meetings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the nature and occurrence of videoconference fatigue.
• To identify videoconference characteristics associated with employee fatigue.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative data collection.
• Quantitative data collected hourly from remote employees over five workdays.
• Latent growth modeling and multilevel modeling analyzed fatigue trajectories and meeting characteristics.

Main Results:

• Videoconference fatigue was confirmed, often occurring shortly after meetings.
• Meeting timing influenced fatigue trajectories.
• Turning off microphones and higher group belongingness correlated with reduced post-meeting fatigue.

Conclusions:

• Videoconference fatigue is a genuine issue influenced by meeting specifics.
• Group belongingness is a key protective factor against videoconference fatigue.
• Findings provide actionable insights for managing remote work and virtual collaboration effectively.