A leading accountancy firm is hoping to combat “Zoom fatigue” among its staff by testing a “rainbow meeting system” that will colour-code calls that can be taken during an outdoor walk and those where staff need to be on screen.
KPMG said that it would pilot the system to encourage employees to take regular breaks and avoid back-to-back virtual meetings.
Bosses of professional services firms are becoming concerned about staff burnout as employees complain about the impact of long hours tied to their desks at home. Junior consultants have warned bosses that they are suffering from overwork in areas such as mergers and acquisitions after a record number of private equity deals last year.
A University College London social study tracking 70,000 Britons during the pandemic found that two fifths of people were exercising less compared with the first lockdown and 34 per cent of adults were putting in longer hours working from home.
KPMG said that it had created health and wellbeing apps, a working-from-home podcast and a “staying connected buddy scheme” to encourage communication.
EY, a rival accounting group, said that it had doubled the period of paid special leave for anyone needing time away from work in an emergency. It said that all new recruits had been assigned a “buddy” from the year group above to help them to settle in and navigate the organisation.
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