[Closed] Anyone ever join work Zoom calls whilst on turbo trainer?

It's a personal decision, and you'll know your colleagues and office culture best.

Personally, I'd not do it. If any of my colleagues joined a call on their bike, I'd think they were a bit of a duck [sic].

If we were in the office, it would not be good form to join a call from the gym. WFH should follow the same principles of respect to the other callers.

Being on the bike will be noisy if sound only, and pretty grim for anyone watching if a video.

But like I say, not all workplaces are the same as mine, nor are many others as emotionally upright as I am.

I wouldn't have a problem with someone swapping am hour or two of office time for a bike ride if they made up the time. That doesn't make anyone else feel awkward.

If I was looking to make a good impression, and wasn't the office joker, I'd not do a call from the turbo.

What he said ^^^

If you feel like you can be valuable on a meeting while on a turbo trainer, I'd question the value of your meetings.

I'd be fixing your culture of pointless meetings first.

The time you spend on a virtual meeting should be structured, with a clear goal, and set to timeboxes.

If your virtual meetings already are, then appearing on a turbo shows a lack of respect for your colleagues by not giving them, and your process the attention and focus it needs.

I start our weekly meeting - we have a run round with everyone summarising their week with video on then switch camera off to do my kettlebell workout, still focus on the presentation & ask.questions etc

I have young kids so have had to cut video a few times before so no one seems bothered

It’s a joke question, right ?????

Except maybe if your job is QA for Zwift?

As per Rickon, if you think yoU can attend a zoom meeting from a turbo trainer you’re either not needed there or shouldn’t be there.

I took my works laptop in the garage on a lunch break as I knew someone wanted to call. They did just before I got on the turbo. Having already been in the summerhouse on video calls, it was 'where are you now' I'd explained before they called I was about to go on a virtual ride.

I wasn't on the turbo at this point, so they just had a load of bikes hung up in the background. I wouldn't do meetings on the turbo. Even though quiet, there is still significant background noise.

All fair points.

I guess the reason I ask is because we already have a culture of going for walks to do ‘one2one’ catch ups but there is a difference to having a bit of a chat with some work thrown in, to having a meeting on Zoom.

I was only really thinking a ‘light spin‘ but I guess it is a little disrespectful.

Sadly don’t work as a QA for Zwift.

Will keep up the one2one walks as my way of exercising whilst working 😉

If you can do this, you're either not needed in the meeting, or wasting your training time on Zwift.

You can't do this if it's a meeting of your peers for reasons already stated.

Plenty of other types of meetings though where a steady zwift C gp ride would be made to measure - just depends on your workplace. Either fatuous meetings, often training based, that are impolitic to avoid, or real meetings that are a blend of different expertise that everyone has on background until they need to contribute.

Don't be shy about building that TSS ibnchris.

Out of interest, how much do you get paid to do this job where you are even entertaining the idea of having meetings while sat on the turbo?

If I was the person paying your wages, I think you'd have a lot more free time shortly after trying it...

Go for it and let us all know what the reactions of the others at the meeting were.

Nah.

Either you attend a meeting or you don't. But don't join and then sit there with your mic muted and an image of your sweaty face lolling about on the screen...

Nothing says "I don't really give a crap" like doing something else during a meeting.

Surely there are other more appropriate slots in your day when you can "multitask" on a turbo for an hour?
The whole day isn't being spent on zoom... Is it?

Go out for an hour on the lunch break that you are entitled to.

If you feel like you can be valuable on a meeting while on a turbo trainer, I’d question the value of your meetings.

Similarly I'd question the value of your turbo session.

If you feel like you can be valuable on a meeting while on a turbo trainer, I’d question the value of your meetings.

If you're not needed in the meeting, just ask for the minutes afterwards?

I sometimes do tech suppourt which involves being sat in a hotel for 3 months waiting for a phone to ring, so I dont feel guilty going for a run, or turboing, or doing some resistance exercise. But I'd not do it whilst someone was on the phone!

Do it on some rollers and every now and then disappear off camera.

I usually join the meeting while going at it with the missus. Bit like a modern version of this

Quite a relaxed team, nobody has complained.

The time you spend on a virtual meeting should be structured, with a clear goal, and set to timeboxes.

I'm not advocating zwifting during meetings however I'd like to point out that it is not always a waste of time if you aren't contributing. I often join calls and just listen because it's a good way of learning about customers, how they are using our products, and also what's going on in other teams. All of which is valuable to me.

I'm sure there'll be no issues at all joining a video call with you visible from the shoulders/waist up, rhythmically rocking side to side, while sweating profusely, and breathing heavily... Throw in the odd grunt for extra effect.

I dunno about anyone else but at work the people I seem to meet actively dislike video and most people leave it off.

I would consider Zoom on a turbo trainer only if I overdid it and needed to video-call for an ambulance