The "Three Monkeys" of the Online World

"See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil" -- these are the proverbial principles of the The Three (Wise) Monkeys as we know of. In India they are mainly called as Gandhiji's monkeys but the actual origin of them is from Japan (Source: Wiki).

Circle to 2020, with the whole world working from home, a new way of life and working in place, there are few basic etiquettes that one should follow esp. when taking calls from home.

In short to put them as the

The Three Monkeys of the Online World

Firstly,

"See no Evil" or in other words "Ensure your camera is turned off, unless asked to switch on"

99% of us while working from home in these times are not going to be dressed up and sitting in front of your desks, so be very careful when you enter into calls as no one wants to see you caught off guard :). You could stick a small tape on your webcam and keep it or else want a little more sophistication, then you could buy a C-Slide Camera cover online.

Second,

"Hear no Evil" or in other words "Ensure you have your head-phones on rather than on the speaker"

With all of us working from home, the non-married folks might be staying with your friends (others who are also working for home), the married folks might have your better halves also working from home, you might have kids attending online classes or you might have others also at your place who just wants their piece of mind and not listen to your calls, so please wear a headphone/earphone while attending your calls.

Lastly,

"Speak no Evil" or in other words "Ensure your mic is on mute, unless when you have to speak"

I don't think I need to stress the perils of having caught with your mic unmuted...think of all those scenarios when you have been cribbing or bitching about your higher-ups and then scene change to your mortified face when you realise you have not been on mute.. So in simple words, double/triple check that your mic is muted unless when you are speaking.

Disclaimer: These are just my two cents and not a rule, but hey, we are all "wise" enough :)