Since most of employees continues to work from home, 7 out of 10 employees connect 9 hours, or even more, to a computer / laptop screen to attend meetings or deadlines. In time, 3 out of 10 people participate in more than 20 virtual calls, says a new survey.

Research by Godrej Interio shows that four in 10 employees experience moderate to extreme irritation levels and burning in their eyes at the end of long virtual calls, and two in 10 respondents claim to experience blurry vision after extended video calls.

The data shows that six in 10 employees feel virtual meetings are effective, but an overwhelming 89% of them would be happy to continue them in audio mode if given a choice.

A total of 235 office-going employees participated in the research, of which 68% belonged to the age group of 26-40 year olds, a majority of them working for MNCs and Indian corporates.

Virtual fatigue has become a nickname for the health concerns that arise from chaotic participation in virtual conferences. Experts say it causes many health problems that are related not only to vision but also to back pain problems.

“Today, the amount of screen time employees have to deal with continues to cause health problems such as eye irritation, blurred vision, and ear fatigue, as well as lower overall physical activity levels.” Vice Vice President Sameer Joshi said. -Godrej Interio, President of Marketing (B2B).

Some organizations are working little by little to help employees deal with virtual fatigue.

Microsoft is analyzing the data to see if employees are taking enough breaks, and that many employees spend their time late at night or even on weekends preparing for a review on Monday. I observed it. The company is currently blocking Monday’s reviews and holding 25-minute and 55-minute meetings to allow employees to take a short break between calls, said Geeta Gurnani, Country Head, a modern job at Microsoft India.

At Wal-Mart Global Tech India, leaders discuss the importance of maintaining a work-life balance and flexible schedule, even when sharing personal stories and journeys. “We have a cohort of leadership-sponsored“ wellness ”champions that work closely with each leader to drive specific insights and find contextual solutions. Finding the right combination of virtual and office workspaces requires organizations to enable their employees to evolve over time and maintain balance to avoid virtual fatigue, “Said Sudeep Ralhan, VP of Wal-Mart Global Tech India.

InMobi introduced “No Friday Meetings” to facilitate employee concentration and conducted a mindfulness program and a mind-body integration workshop.

If WFH continues, employees will fight virtual fatigue and develop health problems.