It is imperative that at every end of the conversation, you need to say goodbye - a sort of signal that your conversation is already through by saying “bye” matching the waving hand gesture - and this is the norm, everyone does this, right?
This etiquette, when everything went online, was carried through by almost all people including you. Automatically, at the end of Zoom or Teams’ video conferencing and remote work meetings, everyone is starting to wave their hands remotely.
So, why did everyone start waving? In this article, you will discover the answer to why everyone including you can’t stop waving at the end of remote work meetings.
Video conferencing using your all-in-one video conference equipment and video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc. becomes the common way of collaboration and communication in a remote and hybrid work setup.
In a CNN article, experts explained that COVID-19 made remote workers adapt to new ways of communicating. Since remote workers are used to human interaction, they cannot stop waving their hands at the end of online meetings because they are craving for a “rea”l human interaction and personal touch.
“This personal touch is missing, We’re hungering for that human interaction, that friendliness, so we’re starting to do things like waving to say goodbye. It feels a little nicer than just clicking off,”
stated Laura Dudley, an associate clinical professor at Northeastern University and expert in behavior analysis and body language.
Moreover, according to Melanie Brewster, associate professor of counseling psychology at Columbia University,
“People are overperforming social cues of closure because X-ing out a window on your computer is so much more ambiguous than standing up, walking out of a room, or doing another signaling for in-person terminations of meetings,”.
Furthermore, according to Professor Larry Rosen, a renowned expert in psychology, to adapt to the future of work and with the advancement of high technologies such as video conference cameras, we have discovered a simple yet effective solution - waving goodbye.
He added that this gesture has become a natural way to say farewell, as it is universally recognized. Waving goodbye through the video conference camera has become a crucial aspect in creating a sense of completion and closure in conversations.
According to the findings of Zoom, a large number of individuals are still using the act of waving to conclude their virtual meetings. In 2021, a significant 75 percent of respondents reported that they wave goodbye at the end of their Zoom calls, and even in 2022, that number remained high with 57 percent claiming to be "wavers."
However, the data also showed that the older generation, specifically Baby Boomers, were less inclined to participate in this trend, with only 51 percent of them saying that they are less likely to wave.
These statistics highlight the continued prevalence of the waving gesture as a means of creating a sense of completion in virtual communication, even amidst the changing times and technological advancements.
As humans, we are exposed to various verbal and non-verbal cues such as waving that signal a certain meaning when we do certain actions.
Since everything went online, the advancement of technologies is proliferating and more and more businesses are creating high-tech solutions and software like video conference cameras to help you and your team with your business.
One best example is our Coolpo AI Huddle Mini, a Gesture Control video conference camera that offers 4k video conference solutions and a 110-degree wide-angle.
It is a gesture control camera since the AI detects and recognizes meeting participants when they raise their hands close to their faces with an open palm. By this, the Mini will follow them while they are speaking. If you want to disable this feature, you just need to raise your hand close to your face with an open palm again.
Waving goodbye at the end of remote work meetings has become a norm for many individuals due to the increase in video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This gesture serves as a way to signal the end of a conversation and provides a sense of closure. According to experts, this has become a natural way to say farewell as it is universally recognized.
Based on the survey conducted by Zoom, a majority of individuals continue to wave at the end of their video calls, with 57 percent claiming to be "wavers." However, data shows that Baby Boomers are less likely to participate in this trend.