My thoughts as well. I wonder if the employees being recorded have been pressured into consent. If I wanted to be on youtube, I’d start my own youtube channel.
I share your thoughts. But I guess that problem will solve itself over time:
Any new employee will know what they are signing up for; and people who don't like it (but feel like they can't resist the social pressure) will leave over time.
Upvote for Astranis! Hi Christian! (I'm just a random EE who used to work there, hanging on the couch browsing HN after a long day and randomly seeing a link from someone I used to work with).
Also, this is funny, doesn't everyone else have a never ending pile of actual work to do, which the real meetings always interrupt? I wouldn't want to willingly "join" extras...
Other than this tweet, is there any evidence to support this claim?
I'm specifically talking about the "pretend they're working" aspect.
I could definitely see people putting up a zoom call recording in an office setting to stop random interruptions. It wouldn't necessarily mean they're "pretending" to work though.
Skimming the comments it does look like people are mostly using it to be left alone, mostly from their families. People seem to be talking about putting it on because they need their kids to leave their office, or because they're not ready to tell their family they resigned, or they want someone to get off the phone, stuff like that.
Maybe people are slacking off too but that doesn't seem to be what the comment section is about. Maybe this is a selection bias at work and the slackers don't comment or their comments get downvoted, I have no idea.
I do have a hard time imagining this helping you slack off at work though. This seems like a tactic that only works on people you don't work with. Like, you put it on in, your manager walks by your desk, and sees you in a meeting with a bunch of strangers - aren't they going to ask what you're doing?
My family leaves me alone when I'm on a call, but feels free to interrupt if I'm quietly working. Sometimes, I enjoy the company, so I don't want to tell them to never do this, but I also sometimes need focus time. The sounds of a call provide an audible signal that This Is Don't Interrupt Dad Time.
In other words, for at least some people, it's not pretending to work so they can slack off, it's pretending to be in a meeting so they can actually work.
I imagine that in-office workers with disruptive coworkers might want to do something similar.
Yes, resonates! I don’t get focus time at home, most probably because I don’t define my own boundaries well enough towards my spouse and kids. Calls are a clear boundary for them. I work in a coworking now to avoid solving the boundaries problem.
you need recordings of meetings to pretend that you are working?
i just need to sit at the computer to do that. i mean, i am working on something, but noone in my family can tell if it is paid work, some FOSS contribution or a useless side project.
for meetings i can join online tech hangouts which they also can't tell from real work meetings.
pretty much anything i do on the computer that is not watching a movie or playing a game will look like work to them.
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[ 1.8 ms ] story [ 70.7 ms ] threadThis is just sad.
Any new employee will know what they are signing up for; and people who don't like it (but feel like they can't resist the social pressure) will leave over time.
Also, this is funny, doesn't everyone else have a never ending pile of actual work to do, which the real meetings always interrupt? I wouldn't want to willingly "join" extras...
I'm specifically talking about the "pretend they're working" aspect.
I could definitely see people putting up a zoom call recording in an office setting to stop random interruptions. It wouldn't necessarily mean they're "pretending" to work though.
It’s seems more about pretending to be in a meeting and on video, which would be much more likely to stop kids or a spouse from walking in.
Maybe people are slacking off too but that doesn't seem to be what the comment section is about. Maybe this is a selection bias at work and the slackers don't comment or their comments get downvoted, I have no idea.
I do have a hard time imagining this helping you slack off at work though. This seems like a tactic that only works on people you don't work with. Like, you put it on in, your manager walks by your desk, and sees you in a meeting with a bunch of strangers - aren't they going to ask what you're doing?
But no, the comments are people using it to fake that they are working to their family or kids, even taking back to the video when family walks by.
Somehow that's so much more messed up and dystopian.
In other words, for at least some people, it's not pretending to work so they can slack off, it's pretending to be in a meeting so they can actually work.
I imagine that in-office workers with disruptive coworkers might want to do something similar.
you need recordings of meetings to pretend that you are working?
i just need to sit at the computer to do that. i mean, i am working on something, but noone in my family can tell if it is paid work, some FOSS contribution or a useless side project. for meetings i can join online tech hangouts which they also can't tell from real work meetings.
pretty much anything i do on the computer that is not watching a movie or playing a game will look like work to them.