I basically agree with this (bedrooms in Zoom calls are tacky), but I broke my own rules when I was forced to work at home during COVID. I live in a one-bedroom apartment, and the only reasonable location for my desk has been my bedroom. This was never a problem when I was not actually doing real work there, but I really had no other place to move that desk at the time. The bed location was also fixed, due to the location of room and closet doors and electric baseboard heaters.

Since I had no way to re-locate either the desk or the bed, I was pretty much stuck. I mostly didn't use my camera, but, at the times when I did, I apologized for the bed, which was always made and reasonably neat. I figured that, since I never signed up to work at home, it was reasonable to expect to be given some leeway for less-than-ideal working conditions. Everyone seemed to understand, and I even did a job interview with this setup (and got the job).

I personally hate virtual backgrounds--they look tacky, and also make it look like the user is hiding something (which I wasn't). I would prefer a realistic-but-not-ideal background over that.

But, yes, beds are tacky and somewhat invasive in Zoom calls for anyone who intentionally signed up to work at home. A professional-looking background is important for such a position if cameras are going to be used.

Agree with OP and PPs: no beds in the background, especially an unmade bed. I work from a bedroom and never, ever have the bed in view.

Off topic but please make your bed everyday. It takes seconds but makes the whole room instantly look cleaner, and it's much nicer to get into a neat bed at the end of the day than a crumpled mess.

Thank god I have a home office!

I’ve watched hundreds of recorded job interviews since the pandemic started and we just stopped doing in person. Anyway, when you watch someone answer questions for 20 minutes, you really notice everything in the background. I tried to not let that influence my decisions but it really did my colleagues so just know people judge you on your surroundings. But I have to say I got sick of looking at their stuff and their decor and after a while you start analyzing the artwork or their interiors and what it shows about them. I think the best interviews were when people stood up with a white wall or blurred wall behind them. It’s a whole new skill set to learn and people make mistakes. Not only with messy rooms but also bad lighting, and speaking in a monotone. People who looked into the camera like they were actually speaking to someone were far and few but they were the people we hired.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you need to get a life.

We found the slob!

It’s distracting. Now, admittedly, I have ADHD and am prone to distraction. But if I’m wondering about the bong, or why you can’t even shut the closet door or put your laundry basket with underwear on top out of frame, I’m not paying attention to you.

Also, I HATE ceiling fans in frame.

Forget unprofessional. Stop distracting from whatever presentation you worked so hard to put together. My big takeaway is going to end up being that you wear granny bras.

Anonymous wrote:Jeez. I do this. I mean, there’s no piles of laundry or dishes or mess like that, but yeah, you can see my bed, and yeah, sometimes it’s not made. Who cares? All my meetings are internal or with consultants working for us. If I’m talking to a client, I make sure the bed is made.

I don’t like the backgrounds. They always end up looking so fake and blurring weirdly around your hair. It’s just a bed, what is so bothersome about that?

Loosen up.

It is not professional. Use a background. Blur the background. Sit next to a blank wall. I don't want to see your bedroom or messy house.

I interviewed for a role and a few different people on the meeting zoomed from their (messy) bedrooms & some were wearing t-shirts or maybe pjs. I declined to move forward for a couple reasons (not all about background). I don't want to work at an organization where people can't be professional enough with someone they are interviewing (I would have been the boss). One of them actually commented on how they couldn't believe I had a fall tree background. I wanted to reply, at least it isn't a messy bedroom! Seems silly to pull out of a job for, but makes me question their judgement and work ethic.

Anonymous wrote:Sit on the floor in front of a bare wall or your closed bedroom or closet door. The background should be completely uninteresting.

I can't believe anyone on this thread is excusing a business call made with your bed in the background. We are not doing phone sex here. No beds allowed.

Exactly. Or sit on the bed with your back against a wall and a laptop on a box in front of you. Or prop up posterboard behind you, a'la 8th grade trifold science project. Or a thousand other options that aren't screaming "here is where I sleep and do god knows what else."

I grew up super poor, likely more poor than almost any of you. We had an outhouse in the Midwest. I never bought any new piece of clothing until I was graduating high school. But I'm not an idiot, and I could have figured this out at 14. Come on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez. I do this. I mean, there’s no piles of laundry or dishes or mess like that, but yeah, you can see my bed, and yeah, sometimes it’s not made. Who cares? All my meetings are internal or with consultants working for us. If I’m talking to a client, I make sure the bed is made.

I don’t like the backgrounds. They always end up looking so fake and blurring weirdly around your hair. It’s just a bed, what is so bothersome about that?

Loosen up.

No loosening up necessary. Be a professional. You need a little more pride in yourself and image. Imagine if the President zoomed in his PJs with his feet up on the desk while munching a PB&J. Is that OK, if he says the right things?! Decorum, people.

The President wouldn’t zoom. He’s in the office

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wall behind where I sit to Zoom is a carefully curated bookshelf with a few decorative items. Like I am on MSNBC or somthing.

You're showing your privilege. I lived in the world's smallest 1 bedroom in NYC with my husband in 2020. I worked from our bed for a year based on outlet placement.

NP. On the one hand, I get it. On the other, extension cord?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wall behind where I sit to Zoom is a carefully curated bookshelf with a few decorative items. Like I am on MSNBC or somthing.

You're showing your privilege. I lived in the world's smallest 1 bedroom in NYC with my husband in 2020. I worked from our bed for a year based on outlet placement.

May be, but a virtual background is available for everyone and there are lots of pretty neat pictures.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The wall behind where I sit to Zoom is a carefully curated bookshelf with a few decorative items. Like I am on MSNBC or somthing.

You're showing your privilege. I lived in the world's smallest 1 bedroom in NYC with my husband in 2020. I worked from our bed for a year based on outlet placement.

My husband and I both worked from our bedroom in 2020 as well. I created a little setup with curated visuals on the wall behind where I sat so that I had a professional setting for Zoom and so that it didn't look like I was working from my bedroom. It can be done, no privilege required.

I also zoom from my bedroom but I moved my desk so that there is no bed visible and while the door to the bathroom is in the background, it’s always closed. A few photos on the wall and a plant is all it takes!

Coworkers zooming in a bedroom make me extremely uncomfortable. Agree that a background, blank wall or positioning the camera toward the ceiling are good alternatives.

I don't care what's in your background. We have several overseas folks who never ever turn on cameras and I'd really like them to once in awhile. Also please have a dog or a cat.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why everyone wouldn’t at least blur the background, is that hard? If I have to look at your bedroom I am definitely judging you as unprofessional, I don’t care if it’s a casual internal call I never want to see your bed.

I’m not a bed maker but I think it’s gross to zoom from your room with your unmanned bed. No one wants to see the spot where you had sex last night. Gross.