Conducting a scheduled conference call during your work-from-home set-up doesn’t mean you can simply come unprepared. As a responsible employee, follow this conference call etiquette for when you face your boss and teammates next.
Related: 6 Ways On How To Be Productive When You Work From Home
Working from home, remotely, and other similar arrangements will more often than not require you to do conference calls instead of actually meeting in person. While the enhanced community quarantine is enforcing workforce, if possible, to continue their work at home, the most convenient way to proceed with monthly, weekly, or even daily reports is through video-calling applications like Zoom, Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Skype for Business, Slack, and so on. And, if you’re also working from home during this quarantine and you’re checking in with your teammates from time to time through a conference call, there’s no excuse to come in right after you got out of bed or in your PJs. It’s your boss and your team that you’re meeting. Therefore, make it a point to still look presentable.
Grimacing over the fact that part of the lure of working from home means doing so in comfort and less pretense? Don’t worry, because these meetings will come and go, depending on the meetings you have to take, of course. But eventually, you can slip out of the work-approved upper half of your body and go back to that pajama you had on prior. The most important part in all this is to get the work done above everything.
Wear Something Nice
Make sure that you are still dressed up nicely in front of a laptop or smartphone. It could be as simple as putting on an oversized blazer or sweater over the clothes you used to wear at home. And here’s a friendly reminder: since you never know when you have to stand up from your seat, you might want to go for bottoms that are appropriate as well. Just be sure it is appropriate because you never know when you have to stand up and excuse yourself. It sounds like a good laugh, but no one really wants to see your underwear in a meeting, right?
Put On Light Makeup
We know that getting glammed up is part of your daily routine as you prepare yourself to work. Waking up a little earlier can definitely allow you some time to put on light makeup. Yes, we suggest doing the basics is enough—filling your brows, applying eyeliner and mascara, patting some blush, and patting your lips with your go-to shade. This will not only bode well for a conference call, but it will set your mood for the rest of the workday. A little swipe of color to hold on to what is routine and normal wouldn’t hurt.
Mind Your Surroundings
Don’t turn your formal conference call into an awkward scene. Position yourself inside a closed and quiet room with minimal to no noise (ie dogs barking and any other unnecessary sounds or even a child sauntering from the door). To avoid distractions, choose a background that wouldn’t show people passing by. Besides, this is also a reflection of your image. It is also important that you consider a space in your house with nice light so people can see you clearly.
Check The Connection
This may already be out of your control but still, be mindful of your internet connection’s stability. If you have to check the connection ahead of time, do so. Your team probably doesn’t have the whole day to wait for your smooth reception. If you keep having a laggy response, most likely, your team won’t understand a bit from you. We’ve all heard stories of choppy speeches, requests for repetition, and sometimes even a complete technical difficulty, so it is best to keep these in mind when setting up for a virtual meeting.
Prepare Your Presentation
You have to come in well-prepared for your report. With your non-uniform setting, it’s highly advisable if you can present everything accurately and precisely. For your workmates who fail to join the conference call given the circumstances, a summary of your report will be highly appreciated by your team.
Comfort Doesn’t Mean Forgetting Respect
Even if you are technically at home, you are still on your company’s working hours, and therefore you must act accordingly—especially in a meeting. This means paying attention when someone’s speaking, keeping your focus on the matters at hand (put down that phone, please), and when not speaking, turn the mute button on so as to maintain clarity to whoever is talking. And if you are going to excuse yourself, don’t forget to ask permission, just as you would in an actual meeting. The circumstances may be different at the moment, but proper decorum stays, enduring through the concept of space, obviously.
