Zoom Fatigue Calculator
Find out what percentage of your working day is video calls, and what that adds up to over a year.
of your working day is calls
Heavy. Your camera has seen more of your face than your family has.
Ok, how much of my week goes on calls? Let's work it out. I'm on 15 hours of calls a week, and I work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, so that's 40 hours.
15 hours doesn't sound like much. But out of 40, that's 38% of my week.
Over 48 weeks that's 720 hours on calls. At 8 hours a day, that's 90 working days, or 18 weeks of my year.
So what's left for everything else? About 25 hours a week.
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This tool calculates what percentage of your working time is spent on video or phone calls, and how many hours and working weeks that represents over a year.
Video calls are more cognitively demanding than in-person meetings, partly because of the sustained eye contact, partly because of the latency, and partly because you can see yourself the whole time. Research consistently finds that heavy call schedules (over 4 to 5 hours per day) are associated with higher fatigue levels. This tool shows where your schedule sits.
How we work it out
Weekly call hours are divided by your total working hours per week to get the percentage. That percentage is then applied to your annual working hours for the full-year figures.
Common mistakes
- Only counting scheduled calls. Quick calls and chats that run over count too.
- Using a full 52 weeks. Leave out holiday weeks.
- Forgetting it is a share of your working week, so longer working hours make it a smaller share.
Questions
Does this include phone calls?
Yes. Audio-only calls are less fatiguing than video, but they still count as synchronous communication time. Include them if they form part of your regular schedule.
What is a healthy amount of call time per day?
Most guidance suggests keeping video calls under 2 to 3 hours per day if possible, with breaks between them. Beyond that, attention and energy decline significantly for most people.
How is the percentage worked out?
Your hours in calls each week are divided by your working hours each week (hours a day times days a week). 15 hours of calls in a 40-hour week is 37.5%.
What does "days of calls" mean?
It is your total call hours for the year divided by the length of your working day. It shows how many full working days a year go on calls.
Why does it ask for weeks per year?
You are not on calls during holiday weeks. The default of 48 leaves room for a few weeks off, and you can change it to match your own year.
Camera off. Screen on. Different screen.