From the CPO’s Desk: “Mirror Anxiety”: Zoom Fatigue Isn’t About Video. It’s About the Pressure to Perform.

We’ve all felt it: the drained, slightly hollow feeling after a full day of back-to-back Zoom meetings. The term “Zoom fatigue” has become workplace shorthand for what remote work supposedly does to us.

But the problem isn’t the video.

It’s the performance.

More specifically: the pressure to perform without the social cues, rhythms, and micro-moments that used to make work feel natural.

Why Video Calls Are So Draining

In traditional offices, conversation happened in gradients; hallway chats, over-the-shoulder comments, casual sidebars. You could participate lightly or deeply depending on the moment. You could simply be around.

But in the standard remote toolkit, every interaction is binary:
You're either “on” in a scheduled Zoom call or invisible behind a Slack handle.

There’s no in-between. No easing in. No sense of shared momentum.

You’re always on a stage.

Studies reveal that one of the top contributors to video meeting exhaustion is “mirror anxiety”: the mental load of seeing your own face while trying to be expressive, attentive, clear, and likable. Multiply that by 6–8 calls per day, and it’s no wonder people are fried.

But it’s not just self-awareness. It’s self-management. The constant effort to project confidence, clarity, engagement, all without the real-time feedback of body language, shared laughter, or casual eye contact.

The Real Problem: Remote Work Lost Its Texture

In physical offices, there was a texture to the day; quiet time, group time, visible but optional time. You didn’t always need a meeting to connect. You could observe, bump into someone, or just be “around” to absorb the pace and culture.

That texture is what created trust, creativity, and flow. And it’s what most remote setups, and large multi-office enterprises are missing today.

We replaced it with an exhausting binary loop:
Be “on” in Zoom. Be “off” in Slack. Repeat.

How We’re Rebuilding Texture in Katmai

At Katmai, we’re designing a virtual workplace where people don’t have to perform to participate.

Here’s how we’re thinking about it:

• Spatial audio lets you drift into and out of conversations naturally, no “joining” required.

• Ambient presence shows you who’s around without demanding interaction.

• Custom environments make spaces feel warm, familiar, and owned, not sterile software.

• Unstructured time in shared spaces allows teams to build trust through casual overlaps, not just formal meeetings.

We’re focused on creating simple, powerful ways for people to feel connected without always needing to be “live.” That means reducing the friction - social, emotional, and cognitive - that makes remote work exhausting. In Katmai, just being in the space signals presence. You can overhear conversations, walk by active collaboration, and leave behind visual elements like notes or artifacts that others can discover when they enter. It’s not about building the metaverse - it’s about making teamwork feel natural again.

What This Means for the Future of Work

As we talk to customers, especially those managing hybrid and distributed teams, a pattern emerges:
//People don’t miss the office.
//They miss feeling part of something without having to schedule it.

That’s the core of what we’re building at Katmai:
//A digital workspace with texture.
//A place where you can ease in, stay present, and be real.

Not every moment should feel like a presentation. Sometimes the best work happens when you’re just… around.

Let me know if this resonates. Would love to hear how your teams are navigating this pressure loop - and what’s working (or not) for you.

Thanks for reading.

Dan