Do You Need a Webcam to Work From Home?

The workplace is changing and people are starting to work from home more frequently. There are some jobs that are completely hybrid, and then there are some jobs that are entirely work from home.

If you are someone who is looking for a work from home job, or if you want to start working a hybrid work schedule, then you’re going to want a webcam. It’s just a basic part of the work from home setup.

Below we’ll look into some of the main reasons why you need a webcam for any work from home situation and the different ways you can work around not having one.

The thing to remember, is that work from home is here to stay, even if public officals like Mayor Adams would prefer it to end (and ridicule people who work from home as working in their Pajamams).

Why Would You Need a Webcam for Work?

People need to see you. And you need to see people. That’s the basic reason why you need a webcam for work. It’s nothing more complicated than that.

If you are working in a group environment, then there are going to be meetings where your mangers want everyone on camera. It is just a more productive setting.

Also, if you are ever working with clients or dealing with outside customers, then it is beneficial to have a face to face interaction.

The thing that’s lost when you are not working in an office, or in-person, is the face to face aspect of business.  This is what the webcam can solve.

The webcam is not there to handle accountability. It’s there to handle aspects of interpersonal communication.

If you are dealing with people on a day to day basis as part of your role in the company, then it’s vital that you have some ability to see them.

Work productivity accountability can be handled otherwise by task tracking systems and client side productivity gauges.

But the group meetings with co-workers that are on Zoom or Teams? And the meetings with clients that you should be having “face to face” all require that you have a webcam setup.

Laptop Webcam or Separate Webcam: Which is Better?

If you have a Laptop with a webcam built in, and you’re only going to do video interviews a few times a week, then this would be sufficient.

Obviously if you have a laptop where the webcam is broken or is lacking in clarity, then you need to upgrade.

The place where there is a great deal of a conundrum is when you have a laptop that has a webcam, but it’s not too sufficient for daily use. And if you need to be on Zoom calls or Team meetings all day long, then that might warrant getting a separate webcam.

The decision really lays with how often you use your webcam.

If you are someone who needs to use a webcam daily, for several hours at a time, then it’s vital that you have a good webcam. This can make or break your work from home experience.

Realistically, most people can get away with the webcams that come with standard laptops. However, there are instances where you might want to have a separate webcam that is more capable of creating a professional look.

There are levels of webcams out there, and the ones that come attached to your laptop are not at the higher end.

What Can You Use if You Don’t Have a Webcam?

The first thing I would suggest you do is buy yourself a webcam. You don’t have to spend money on a whole new laptop just to have a webcam for work from home purposes. But you do need a webcam.

Some people might suggest that you use something like a cell phone or tablet, but that’s a bad idea.

These aren’t stable and you’ll end up looking unprofessional if you have a Zoom interview or meeting on a cell phone.

If you are working in certain fields, such as nursing or medical staffing or even the non-profit sector, then there is less of an emphasis on presentation. In those instances, you do not need to have a webcam. It’s enough to have any sort of video. Nurses routinely will conduct interviews on their iPhone while in the breakroom of a hospital. It is not going to throw off potential employers.

If you don’t have a webcam, and you are seriously considering interviewing for work and also finding a work from home job, then I would advise you to get a webcam.

You don’t have to buy a whole new laptop, but it would be beneficial for you to invest in a webcam. They are not expensive and can be the make or break between getting a job and simply floundering without a job for months on end.

Once you land a work from home job, or even a hybrid job, you’re going to want to have a webcam anyway. So, it makes sense to just invest in the webcam now and give yourself an edge over job applicants that don’t have webcams and who can’t interview as successfully as you could.

When you’re interviewing for a job, appearences are important. Which is why you should always dress professionally, but it’s also important that you come across well via video. If you are sitting there holding an IPhone and trying to look professional, it’s just not going to work.