3 ms·

I'm on a couple of remote teams, and set the expectation that I won't be 'camera on' all the time during meetings. My reasons are more practical than privacy o

I'm on a couple of remote teams, and set the expectation that I won't be 'camera on' all the time during meetings. My reasons are more practical than privacy oriented. I'm often pacing during meetings, and connected via phone and desktop. I can see and hear what's going on, and can talk back, but when my camera is 'on' it's just constant movement, which distracts folks. Every couple of weeks I'll start a meeting with camera on for a minute or so just to say 'hello' to some folks, let them see I'm still 'here' in some sense, then camera off (usually). It feels useful to have some initial face/camera time to get a sense of the other person, but again, it's not something I generally routinely will leave on. I had a period of a month or so last year where I moved to a Mac mini and... there's no camera. I didn't have a working webcam at all laying around, and it took me a month to bother to get a new one. No one missed anything of value by not seeing my face during that time. :) Over the last 5-6 years, it's only been a noted issue with a handful of folks, and never been a deal breaker. The compromise is 'on' now and then for the start of a meeting. There's a humanizing aspect which is easy to lose sight of, but in most meetings, it's typically not that useful anyway. When there's more than a handful of folks, not all camera boxes can be see (too small, too many), and if/when you're working with a smaller group, there's usually much more value in sharing a document/editor/whatever.

paulcole 5y ago
> No one missed anything of value by not seeing my face during that time. :) How do you know this for a fact? You think sharing your face isn’t valuable, why do you think this applies to everyone you work with, too?
- mgkimsal 5y ago
  Speaking in absolutist terms, I can't know as 'fact', true. The output/quality/pace of the group was about as close as it could be during that period of no camera whatsoever. But the comparison is my normal MO which is camera on a few minutes per week. So the delta wasn't that different to begin with.
  - gkop 5y ago
    What efforts have you made to get candid feedback here though? > it's only been a noted issue with a handful of folks, and never been a deal breaker In my experience it’s not realistic to expect people to proactively note constructive feedback on one’s unhelpful behaviors. It takes creativity and effort to collect candid feedback. Do you work with anyone for whom the language spoken at work is not their first language? They might appreciate any advantage you could offer to make yourself easy to understand.
    - mgkimsal 5y ago
      No, everyone (bar one person) has the same native language. The person with non-native English does not care, and often has their camera off as well. The 'issue', such as it has ever been raised, was "why don't you have your camera on?", and in one case it was "I have no camera", and in another case it was "I'm walking around, you won't see me or you'll get dizzy trying to look at me". > It takes creativity and effort to collect candid feedback. I'm not sure how much I actually want to spend time 'collecting candid feedback' vs a) getting stuff done and b) supporting other people in getting their stuff done. Camera on/off has not been noted as enough of a hindrance (as in, any at all) by anyone as an impact on their ability to get stuff done. We also have phones and direct meetings where people can collaborate that way. Forcing "cameras on" is... the covid-era version of "butts in seats" it seems.
      - gkop 5y ago
        Ah, you don’t need to choose between collecting feedback to feed your growth, and a) and b). At least, in my career I found pursuing and considering candid reflections from others that I admire, on my behavior, has made me more effective in a) and b). I acknowledge it’s not for everyone. I also enjoy working with people that share this interest in learning how others perceive ourselves, it makes me feel cared about, imbues a certain empathy to our relationship, and helps us keep our egos in check. It matters more for managers than ICs, for obvious reasons. FWIW > Forcing "cameras on" is... the covid-era version of "butts in seats" it seems. I guess you mention this to give depth to your sentiment. No disagreement from me or any other commenter on this article on this statement! Something we all agree on for once :)

paulcole 5y ago

> No one missed anything of value by not seeing my face during that time. :) How do you know this for a fact? You think sharing your face isn’t valuable, why do you think this applies to everyone you work with, too?

mgkimsal 5y ago
Speaking in absolutist terms, I can't know as 'fact', true. The output/quality/pace of the group was about as close as it could be during that period of no camera whatsoever. But the comparison is my normal MO which is camera on a few minutes per week. So the delta wasn't that different to begin with.
- gkop 5y ago
  What efforts have you made to get candid feedback here though? > it's only been a noted issue with a handful of folks, and never been a deal breaker In my experience it’s not realistic to expect people to proactively note constructive feedback on one’s unhelpful behaviors. It takes creativity and effort to collect candid feedback. Do you work with anyone for whom the language spoken at work is not their first language? They might appreciate any advantage you could offer to make yourself easy to understand.
  - mgkimsal 5y ago
    No, everyone (bar one person) has the same native language. The person with non-native English does not care, and often has their camera off as well. The 'issue', such as it has ever been raised, was "why don't you have your camera on?", and in one case it was "I have no camera", and in another case it was "I'm walking around, you won't see me or you'll get dizzy trying to look at me". > It takes creativity and effort to collect candid feedback. I'm not sure how much I actually want to spend time 'collecting candid feedback' vs a) getting stuff done and b) supporting other people in getting their stuff done. Camera on/off has not been noted as enough of a hindrance (as in, any at all) by anyone as an impact on their ability to get stuff done. We also have phones and direct meetings where people can collaborate that way. Forcing "cameras on" is... the covid-era version of "butts in seats" it seems.
    - gkop 5y ago
      Ah, you don’t need to choose between collecting feedback to feed your growth, and a) and b). At least, in my career I found pursuing and considering candid reflections from others that I admire, on my behavior, has made me more effective in a) and b). I acknowledge it’s not for everyone. I also enjoy working with people that share this interest in learning how others perceive ourselves, it makes me feel cared about, imbues a certain empathy to our relationship, and helps us keep our egos in check. It matters more for managers than ICs, for obvious reasons. FWIW > Forcing "cameras on" is... the covid-era version of "butts in seats" it seems. I guess you mention this to give depth to your sentiment. No disagreement from me or any other commenter on this article on this statement! Something we all agree on for once :)