‘We NEVER turn on our cameras’: WFH job applicant says they have to be on camera their entire shift


A worker who recently applied for a remote job went viral on TikTok after sharing a strict requirement from a prospective employer.

ANT (@hisfabulouslife) recently posted a video asking viewers whether their work-from-home jobs required their cameras to be on throughout their shift. Sitting outside of an apartment complex, ANT said that this condition turned him off from a potential job.

@hisfabulouslife I never heard of that one 🤔🤔 #fyp #foryou #wfh #workfromhome #remotework #remoteworkfromhomejobs #remotework #trending ♬ original sound – hisfabulouslife

“I had a job interview earlier for a work-from-home job,” he said. “She said one requirement from working from home is I will have to remain on camera for my whole entire shift.”

“That’s a problem for me,” ANT added, joking that he multitasks while working. “I like to do things like watch my Netflix shows… maybe take a shot here and there, [and] be on FaceTime with my friends.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to ANT via TikTok comment for further information. But, in the comments, fellow remote employees said it was rare that their cameras were ever turned on.

“We NEVER turn on our cameras,” one worker said.

“I never have to turn mine on not even for meetings,” another added.

“Nope you need some kind of privacy,” a third person wrote.

Others, meanwhile, said that they didn’t understand the camera requirement. 

“You might as well go into work lol,” one viewer said.

“My last job tried that & it didn’t work bc we all refused,” another shared.

“That’s too much but I’ve heard companies doing that because people aren’t really working,” a third user added. 

Remote work positions have rapidly increased since the pandemic. In 2023, 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, while an additional 28.2% are working hybrid schedules. And, according to Forbes, an estimated 32.6 million Americans will work remote by 2025.

Remote work has received mixed reviews, though. Some corporations have done away with remote work entirely, claiming that workers perform better when they’re in the office. Proponents, meanwhile, argue that remote workers can perform more within a shorter time frame. They also claim that remote employees have less of a barrier to performing work outside of office hours since their home and work lives become blurred.

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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/job-wants-camera-on-all-shift/