What background are you using for your video call?
Now that we’re weeks into COVID-19 quarantine, most of us have got an established working-from-home routine going on. From squeezing in a few daily walks to cooking our own lunches, our day-to-day lives have changed dramatically. Another element of our day-to-day lives is Zoom meetings.
Speaking of isolation habits, we spoke about baking on this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
Whether it be for a weekly catch up for a monthly WIP meeting, most of us are hopping on some sort of video call and are talking to our colleges semi-regularly. And as a result, we’ve picked up a bit of a technological routine.
With that in mind, we have to ask, what background are you choosing? With limitless options (depending on which app you’re using), what you’ve selected for your video-call background says a lot about you. Let’s break it down.
A Blurred Background
If you’ve opted to blur your background, which is something available on Microsoft Teams (among other apps), what on earth have you got to hide? A blurred background is just as bad as having a dead body on your screen. In fact, it’s worse because at least with a dead body, we can see what we’re dealing with. A blurred background? What are you hiding? We have to know.
A Plain While Wall
If you’ve opted for a plain white wall, we’re a little suss on you. The fact that you’ve gone to the effort to try and make your canvas as blank as possible makes us wonder what your home is like? Are we going to be surprised with your home furniture based on the personality you show at work? Perhaps. You’re not as shady as a blurred background, but you are getting there…
A Bookshelf
Okay, we get it, you’re smart. Upon first glance, you look like a scholar, which is awesome if you’re gunning for a raise at work. Having said that, make sure those books are actually good reads. We don’t want the day for front-facing cameras to go up in quality and for us to discover that all those books are The Twilight Saga or 50 Shades of Grey. No shade to them, but those are not CEO-reads.
A Messy Room With Good Lighting
Okay, we love where your priorities are at. This one goes out to all the people who don’t care what their background is but have opted for the best lighting possible. The placement of the sun determines where the laptop is propped up. We salute you.
A Screenshot Of Yourself
You’re a little prankster, aren’t you? You love to get a little meta and you love the idea of leaving the meeting without anyone realising. Just be careful you… It’s only a matter of time before your boss realises that’s not actually you on screen, but in fact, a screenshot.
We hope that you remember all of this the next time you select the background for a video call with your boss.
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