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Getting Started

Culture of Care: Resource Spotlight

This week our resource spotlight is turning back to Zoom fatigue, with some solutions to combat it.

You would think that a year into Zoom meetings we would have all mastered the tips and tricks by now, but it seems like I’m always learning of new ways to help. My personal favorite from the following article was the tip to “hide self-view” which I was not aware of until now!

A recent article by Stanford Researchers shows four reasons why video, or zoom, meetings fatigue us, with helpful and simple solutions for each. See the reasons and solutions summarized here:

Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense. In a normal meeting, everyone’s focus is usually on the person speaking, but in Zoom meetings everyone is usually looking at everyone, and the amount of eye contact is much greater. Faces on Zoom are usually much larger than how you normally would experience when you’re with someone in person which can cause our brains to interpret it as an intense situation. Solution: Take Zoom out of the full-screen option to minimize face size and increase space between yourself and your camera.

Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing. It’s unnatural to have to look at your own face while you are speaking in real-time. When you see a reflection of yourself, you are typically more critical of yourself. Solution: Use the “Hide self-view” button in zoom. You can access it by right clicking your own photo, or hovering and clicking on the three dots. Then click on “hide self-view”.

Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility. In-person and audio conversations allow us to walk around and move more. However, in video conferencing you are restricted to a smaller space so you can stay in the camera view. Solution: Move the camera further back so there is more space to move, and periodically turn your camera off for a brief nonverbal rest.

The cognitive load is much higher in Zoom. When we are face-to-face nonverbal communication is natural. In video meetings we have to work much harder to send and receive signals. It requires more thought which in turn leads to more cognitive load. Solution: Not only take breaks by turning off your camera, but by turning away from the computer and taking some time for audio only communication to lessen your cognitive load.

Take good care.

Culture of Care Team

Categories
Awareness

Resource Spotlight: Dual Career

This week our resource spotlight turns back to our Dual Career Resources.

Internal Postings: Spouses/Partners of OSU employees are eligible to apply for internal postings at OSU as well as external postings. To apply for an internal posting mention somewhere in your cover letter or resume that you are a part of a dual career couple.

Letter of Support: The OSU Work Life Coordinator can send a letter to the search coordinator letting them know you are a part of a dual career couple if you apply for an OSU job. Simply send the coordinator an email at work.life@oregonstate.edu with the position number, job title, and name of the hiring coordinator.

GOHERC: Individuals are encouraged to utilize the Greater Oregon Higher Education Recruitment Consortium which has a free job board to explore employment at other institutions of higher education within the greater Oregon and southern Washington region.

Work Life Website: More information about dual career resources as well as other work life resources are available at the work life website.

Other Noteworthy Resources:
BEavers HERE NOW: Enjoy a different 15 minute guided meditation each week. Benefits of mediation include stress reduction, better sleep, sharper concentration, anxiety management and happier relationships. Sessions take place every Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. Register at: https://beav.es/JEF.
Care.com Webinar: Removing the “man-can’t” myth, Tuesday April 13th 9-10AM: Moms and dads have been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing equal amounts of stress, despite stereotypes. Dads today are “all in” and more emotionally and physically involved at home than ever before. Josh Levs, an expert on modern dads in the workplace, will share how men can engage on issues of gender equality and diversity, how they can become co-champions for change, and strategies to offer work-life balance for both women and men. Register Today
Planning a Family Vacation: April 20, 2021 9AM Register Here. In looking toward the future, and with the recognition that traveling may look different this summer, Beyond Benefits is offering a webinar for Planning a Family Vacation: Recognizing that numerous tourist destinations are competing for our travel dollar, coupled with our perception that our time is at a premium, it is highly worthwhile to apply planning skills to mapping out a destination and a budget that meets the interests and financial constraints of our family. With numerous choices and considerations, a planned vacation can be a creative and exciting process and deliver exceptional value as well.
OSU Science on Tap | Wine Off the Vine in Oregon and Italy: The OSU Alumni Association is pairing two popular programs for one splendid evening. Learn about the sensory science of wine from OSU Fermentation Science program’s Elizabeth Tomasino at Wine Off the Vine in Oregon and Italy Thursday, April 15, at 5:30 p.m. Be part of the live virtual tasting and discussion of wine from Oregon and Italy. Then hear how you can experience the region on Alumni Group Travel’s upcoming tour, Flavors of Northern Italy, departing September 2021. To receive a recommended wine list, register for free at osualum.com/SOTwine.