April 5, 2021 | Last Updated on: June 29, 2023
As of May 28, 2021, the Paycheck Protection Program has run out of funding. You can learn more about the PPP with our COVID-19 resource hub.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a lot of changes in our day-to-day and working lives, but one of the bigger buzzwords of the past year has been “Zoom fatigue.” The term refers to the glut of workday meetings and video calls, as well as the virtual events that have taken over our social calendar, that have been constantly wearing us down during the pandemic.
Virtual events have taken over our daily lives, impacting everything from how we work to how we socialize. Indeed, they have come to dictate many of the core components of our daily schedule and many people are feeling the effects of constant on-screen exposure (emotionally, physically, and psychologically). As we head into year two of virtual meetings, webinars, and online events, we wanted to talk about “Zoom fatigue” as it relates to businesses – both their employees and client – and events, along with new ideas for conducting virtual events in the future.
At the start of the pandemic, many companies instituted work-from-home (WFH) protocols. These consisted of using Slack to keep in touch with team members, Zoom meetings meant to emulate conference room gatherings, and virtual happy hours to celebrate the end of the workweek. All of these meetings led to “Zoom fatigue,” which is a catchall term for being online and people feeling “like they have to make more emotional effort to appear interested” with “intense focus on words and sustained eye contact.” These online meetings and events are much more draining than in-person events and leave people feeling exhausted.
Now, with remote work here to stay, especially in New York and much of the U.S., many businesses are looking for new ways to keep employees and potential clients entertained while at home.
The employee side of this is two-fold with current employees and new hires.
Keeping up morale for employees while working from home can be difficult, especially when employees can’t check in like normal. Of course, this may not be the case for every employee or business. However, it is important to keep in mind because Zoom fatigue does impact employees as much as clients and social events.
For clients during the pandemic, most business interactions have been conducted online and through video conferencing. So many companies are looking for fun ways to work with clients while abiding by coronavirus restrictions and social distancing.
A way to stand out from the pack when trying to both sign new clients and retain old clients is to have virtual offerings that take advantage of technology while mimicking the intimacy of small group meetings. Just like employees, clients want to feel a personal connection to the company that makes them feel valued.
So, finding a way to put a new spin on virtual events isn’t just impactful for the big fundraisers and events, but also for daily client meetings. They can help bring a new level of engagement during a time when people are growing tired of staring into a computer screen.
We’ve got some great ideas below on how to avoid virtual overload at your business!
Before giving you some ideas to take back to your business, we wanted to highlight some of the fun and innovative event ideas that have emerged during the pandemic. Many businesses have found unique ways to incorporate virtual and hybrid events into their year.
Virtual events are a great way to gather and connect people during lockdowns and COVID-19. They also allow businesses to reach a wider audience through the internet.
As coronavirus restrictions have eased, hybrid events have become a more dominant event form, combining both in-person and virtual elements.
Now that we’ve gone through some of the popular hybrid and virtual events this year, we wanted to find some ways you can apply them to your business. We’ve divided them into four categories, but some of the events work for anything!
As we move into year two of the pandemic, both hybrid and virtual events can help your business expand its client and customer base with a reduction in cost and an increase in ROI.
These events can be convenient and flexible for you, your employees, and your audience while making a huge impact on your business.
Continuing to foster that great company culture with team building and activities that are fun for employees without being draining is important. It’s a big ask, but it can go a long way.
Recreating the personal connection that helps a business make a sale or retain a client can feel elusive nowadays. But these ideas can help!
As we continue in this second year of the coronavirus pandemic, lockdowns are easing and it seems like relief may be coming soon. However, virtual and hybrid events are here to stay. Businesses need to have the tools and ideas they need to impress clients, retain employees, and be a successful business!
Given all of this, it is important that business owners spend some time thinking about how they can leverage the current virtual environment in an innovative and inventive way. Finding new ways to engage your customers and clients can mean the difference between success and failure, especially as the pandemic winds down and things return to normal. After all, you don’t want your customers to forget about you!
As such, keeping employees engaged with unique Zoom events and finding ways to raise brand awareness through innovative zoom offerings is a great way to make sure that your employee and customer bases remain strong and excited as business returns to normal!
