"Can you hear me now?": When hybrid meetings go awry

We’ve all been there. It’s time for another hybrid meeting, which means wondering who’s in the office, not knowing whose mic to use, and realizing everyone else sees a flipped version of your face which is honestly … disturbing.

In today’s evolving work landscape, hybrid meetings have become a mainstay, combining the best (and worst) of in-person and remote work. The hybrid model promises flexibility, inclusivity, and the ability to bring together team members from diverse locations. However, as anyone who has participated in a hybrid meeting knows, it also introduces a unique set of challenges that can test even the most patient among us. Luckily, if you take a step back, most of them are pretty funny …

Why do we have hybrid meetings?

Needless to say, 2020 changed the way we do meetings. Hybrid meetings, where some participants are in the office while others dial in from home, skyrocketed in popularity during and after lockdown. The concept of hybrid meetings isn’t entirely new, though. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, businesses began experimenting with teleconferencing and early forms of video conferencing to bridge geographical gaps. However, the technology was often unreliable and cumbersome, limiting its widespread adoption. From clunky video calls in the 20th century to the Skype era of the early 2000s, we’ve come a long way.

The rapid advancements in internet speed, cloud computing, and user-friendly software during the 2010s set the stage for the modern hybrid meeting. The pandemic merely accelerated this trend, pushing organizations to adopt and refine these tools out of necessity. The sudden need for remote work brought Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet to the forefront, making hybrid meetings a new norm. Today, hybrid meetings are not just a contingency plan but a strategic choice, enabling companies to tap into a global talent pool, reduce travel costs, and promote a better work-life balance. As tech keeps advancing, these flexible, inclusive meetings are here to stay, keeping us connected no matter where we are.

Every hybrid meeting has its cast of characters …

• The multi-tasker: Maybe they’re finishing a presentation before their next meeting, trying to get ahead on busy work so they can plan an early departure on Friday, or just filing their nails …
• The “Can you hear me?” person: They’re constantly struggling with their audio, talking on mute for far too long, and unmuting themselves at the wrong time.
• The virtual background enthusiast: They always have a fun or exotic background, making us wonder why they chose to make it look like they’re off sipping mai tai’s when in reality, they’re probably just covering up a pile of laundry.
• The good student: They’re not tab-hopping, they’re not staring into space, they’re not even looking at the clock. In fact, they’re furiously typing up meeting notes, speaking eloquently when it’s their turn, and putting the rest of us to shame.
• The “I’d rather be anywhere else” person: It’s their fifth meeting of the day, and they’re done trying to act chipper. At 4pm on a Friday, they’re just trying to get by …

Audio aggravations

When will a hybrid meeting ever not have sound issues? When joining from a meeting room, someone has to be the tech expert, ensuring the online participants are properly projected and the sound is connected. And we all know that can take some time, as well as a lot of trial and error. You’d think none of us have ever joined a meeting before …

• The inevitable echo loop: Someone unmuted in both the meeting room and on their laptop creates an echo that makes it sound like a robot is trying to communicate from another dimension. Cue frantic muting, unmuting, and whispered apologies until the culprit is found.
• When you talk, the person on the other end cuts out, creating a bunch of weird starts and stops. A lesson in not interrupting!
• When someone has weird unexplained background noise and puts their mic on at seemingly random times. Would you mind referring to section 3 of the Hybrid Meeting Handbook and turn your audio on only while speaking?

Oops … I can see you

Sometimes during hybrid meetings, we may get glimpses of things our coworkers didn’t intend for us to see. We’ve all heard stories about accidentally turning on a camera at an inopportune time, but there are other ways our cameras can betray us.

• The person in the office shamelessly texting while their boss is remote, blissfully unaware.
• When you can see in someone’s glasses the reflection of them doing something else. No shame in a little 10am online shopping multitasking, is there?
• You’re remote and you notice a person whose eyes keep drifting downward … could that be a phone hidden under the table, pray tell?

I don’t give a …

Sometimes, hybrid meetings give Friday afternoon energy even on a Tuesday morning, and there’s always that colleague who simply doesn’t seem to care. It’s not exactly unprofessional, more so just a hazard of the trade.

• When your manager has clearly just gotten out of the shower and sits through the meeting wearing a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel. It’s giving girlboss.
• The person who’s trying not to laugh on camera. Or even better, two people trying not to laugh. We’d love to get a glimpse of their Slack messages.
• The person turning their camera on and off throughout the entire meeting … we couldn’t help but wonder, what could they be doing?

Though they may be convenient, hybrid meetings have their own set of issues and often highlight the quirks and pitfalls of blending physical and digital workspaces. The seamless integration of in-person and remote participants sounds ideal, but the reality often involves a lot of technical hiccups, miscommunications, and unforeseen distractions. From sound issues and echo loops to awkward camera angles and unexpected background noise, the challenges can sometimes overshadow the benefits.

Despite these hurdles, hybrid meetings are here to stay, pushing us to adapt and improve our tech skills and meeting etiquette. They force us to be more mindful of our virtual presence, to ensure everyone feels included and heard, no matter where they are joining from. As we navigate this new landscape, a little patience, a sense of humor, and some troubleshooting can go a long way in turning these potential hazards into minor bumps in an otherwise productive road!

Photo: Thomas Descamps for Welcome to the Jungle

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