Can't Stand Use of Zoom Meetings When a Phone Call or Email Will Do

[chris87]

I work at my dad's small company and handle most of the operational, IT, and business aspects. I'm always looking at new products/services that will help us. I've noticed that since the pandemic, the sales process almost always includes a Zoom meeting. In the past, I would usually handle everything by phone or email, and this worked fine. The idea of a Zoom meeting with a complete stranger is incredibly uncomfortable to me, and I don't understand it at all. When I receive an invite, I'll typically make up some excuse that I'm in an area with poor internet connection or I'm at a remote site. That will often work, and we'll just have a phone conversation. Of course, at the end of the call they'll be like, "I'd love to hop on Zoom and give you a demo of the product." Since I've always declined these requests, I don't really know the exact format. Am I expected to have my camera on? I know that Zoom is also used for its screen sharing capabilities, but I get the feeling that they have their camera on and assume that I will as well. How incredibly awkward. Does anyone have any experience with this? If so, do you have any strategies for getting out of them? Is it rude to keep your camera off, if you do go on one? I appreciate any input!

 

[Outdated]

Once again I have similar issues but no help. I'm probably a little worse off than you, I have trouble with voice over the phone as well. I have superb hearing but I struggle to catch every third word on the phone.

I go out of my way to see people in person, then I communicate very well. I don't even have a mobile phone any more and none of my computers have web cams.

 

[Judge]

If so, do you have any strategies for getting out of them? Is it rude to keep your camera off, if you do go on one? I appreciate any input!

Sounds like a recurring theme for you given your other post about avoiding a social dinner with coworkers.

I'll have to be blunt here. As long as you stay under the wing of being employed in the family business, you might be able to avoid such considerations by simply approaching your father first and foremost. Then again, if you feel you can't, and for what ever reasons he won't accommodate you, then you have a bigger problem. Awkward as well if you pursue legal considerations in terms of an employer possibly having to accommodate a known autistic employee. And especially awkward in terms of your father as your employer.

The reality here is that at some point in your life you will likely have to succumb to socialization in business. Something the NT world takes for granted. Worse still if the business in question depends on such socialization in terms of both employees and customers. A dynamic that frankly is very difficult to perpetually avoid. In essence, in the long run it may serve you to learn to deal with such social events head-on, even though they are extremely uncomfortable.

Something I know well, as both an insurance underwriter and a website designer where I had to constantly interact with others. It wasn't easy. But I needed gainful employment! The "bottom line" being that in most business pursuits, autistic or not, employees simply do not have the choice- or luxury of avoiding even the most routine of social interactions. Unless of course you become self-employed (my last job before retiring). Though self-employment comes with a whole different set of difficulties that may be worse than social interaction.

If your work involves inevitable interaction with coworkers or clients, you aren't doing yourself any favors in the long run by attempting to avoid such contacts. Just a sad reality of life for most of us in what amounts to an often harsh business environment wherever you go. It isn't what you want to hear. I get that. But given many years of experience in the private sector, it's what you need to know. Unless of course you can find a job that does not involve any social contact with anyone all the time. Which either isn't easy to find, or usually involves terribly poor wages.

 

[Suzanne]

I prefer zoom for certain activities and not for others.

The one thing that I dislike is all the screens and how I coped, was to deminish the screen and thus, only have myself and one other showing, but one can only do that with a computer. Also, I hate seeing myself and learned you can hide yourself and that works better for me, as I get too self conscious seeing myself.

I do see the how practical zoom is and thus, do not hate it and although, yes, I feel rude when I put my screen off, but it tells others, that I do not feel comfortable. But, your situation, you could say that you will have your camara off, thus warning them.