Camera Politics in the Virtual Office

As the corporate world went virtual, one element I was not prepared for was the increased pressure to be on camera. There are times when I am mentally and emotionally prepared to be "on" and other times when I just don't want to be bothered.

"Everyone is dressing casually," has been the response when I use the excuse of my appearance for leaving my camera off. "Everyone" is not a Black woman with natural hair in a predominately white male industry under heightened scrutiny for the content of their work and their appearance. 

Make no mistake, as a junior to mid-career professional in a virtual corporate world, camera-time is important and vital to career development and relationship building. However, pre-quarantine, the majority of these video calls would have been telephone calls. In-person meetings were a rarity even when I was in the office 5 days per week. 

Below are a few tips for surviving "camera culture":

1. Set boundaries for camera calls. I choose not to have calls on camera before 10am or after 5pm. Set boundaries that work for you.