Careful for that Oops! moment when you’re working from home – The Wall Street Journal

With so many of us now in self-isolation and working from home; the faux pas are racking up with many stories shared of the partner who walk past a Zoom, Skype or Google Meet call half-naked; the child who decides it is a really good time to sit on your head or the dog getting friendly with the couch. Or if you do decide to change your background or use something interesting instead of showing up the fact that you are not properly dressed or dressed only from the waist up; be careful because your decision to use a background where it looks as though you are in space, may attract more attention than the topic under discussion. But then again, it may lighten the mood in these dark times and colleagues who may have thought up to now that you were a bit of a bore, might look differently at you. A meme is currently doing the rounds of a Microsoft executive who decided to substitute her face for a potato and couldn't figure out how to turn the setting off; so, she was stuck like that for the entire virtual meeting. Now there's a way to get a nickname like Potato Head that could stick. Famous television presenters, like South African-born comedian Trevor Noah, who have been broadcasting from their homes, have received many questions. Viewers wanted an explanation of Noah's mantelpiece and the "round things" in his home that looked like sculptures. For him it was a chance to say they were African heritage domes which a mother handed down to her son to remind him of the bond they would always share. The Wall Street Journal suggests that home workers should make a bit of an effort and look professional; at least from the waist up and if you don't want people to judge you on your art or background, blur it. – Linda van Tilburg