For most of us, working from home has become our new normal, which means more unnecessary emails, less work attire AKA pants and a whole lot of video meetings – which have proven to be quite the minefield. However, no one is struggling more than this boss who got stuck on ‘potato mode’ during an important video meeting.
Hear about how people are staying connect amidst the pandemic below:
Twitter user @PettyCleg took to the social media platform yesterday to share a hilarious screenshot of her work video meeting, featuring two normal employees and a potato – with a face.
She captioned the image, “my boss turned herself into a potato on our Microsoft teams meeting and can’t figure out how to turn the setting off, so she was just stuck like this the entire meeting.”
Imagine trying to discuss sales targets, job security, or budget projections in full-blown potato mode. You’ve got to laugh, or you’ll cry.
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time someone has made a huge video conference gaffe during isolation. Recently, a woman from the U.S. forgot to turn her camera off during a work meeting and as a result, her colleagues saw her on the toilet.
There are a few simple things we can all do to minimise the embarrassing moments during video conferences.
Firstly, don’t turn your microphone or camera on until you are certain you’re ready for everyone to see your face or hear your voice. Secondly, follow the old fashioned saying: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Fiddling with different buttons during video meetings could put you in potato mode, or worse, share your screen (and open tabs) with the entire team.
Thirdly, if it can be sent in an email or a Slack message, go down that path instead of a video call. The best way to avoid awkward incidents is to change the channel of communication unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Together we can get through COVID-19, even if it means we’re all potatoes by the end of it.
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