3 tech tools to fix hybrid meetings in 2024

In the early days of the pandemic, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and WebEx made it possible to work in a crisis. But quickly, 49% of employees had Zoom Fatigue, according to a 2021 survey from software company HubSpot. Today, that stress has struck around. These meetings come with a higher cognitive load, according to Curtis, thanks to the need to keep up with too much input — in-person colleagues, various backgrounds of virtual peers, and overlapping audio. 

“We hear a lot from HR: Why aren’t employees engaged?” Curtis says. “Well, when you have several different screens up, everyone’s got a different background. What that tells you primarily is that everyone’s in a different location, which instantly tells employees that they are not all together. That is the disconnect.”