Surge in silent Zoom calls as home workers try to recreate the office

The number of people that are paying for strangers to watch them working from home has surged during the pandemic, as users try to improve their focus and productivity. 

New York-based Caveday has seen an 800pc increase in memberships for its so-called ‘work sprints’ since March — a service that involves working side-by-side with strangers on silent Zoom call with your camera on. 

The company, which aims to recreate the professional atmosphere of an office, charges $40 (£30.2) a month for 52 minute sessions. These are followed by guided breaks that can include activities like stretching and breathing exercises.

Caveday said such online "work gyms" help improve concentration and make people less likely to become distracted and turn on the TV or play with their phone.

“It used to be right for freelancers and people that could control their time,” said Jeremy Redleaf, a Caveday co-founder, in an interview with CNN.

“Then all of a sudden, when the pandemic hit, it was right for … almost everybody.”

Another company Ultraworking, which pitches itself as a “work gym”, conducts the calls in 30 minute cycles before a moderator starts a 10-minute break in which people can interact.

The Dubai-based company charges $49 a month for unlimited cycles throughout the day.

"For whatever strange reason, humans seem to very comfortable letting themselves down but very uncomfortable letting other people down," Ultraworking writes on its website. 

"Some people get a personal trainer not because they need help with their lifts, but just because it’ll make them show up…So we built a framework for social accountability during work."

Focusmate, based in New York, finds users a brainstorming partner who can work alongside them for 50 minutes. 

The company claims its method helps users experience what psychologists refer to as a "flow state", or long stretches of intense focus.

Several of the world’s most powerful CEOs have warned about the dangers of home working and the impact on productivity. 

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella earlier this year said that working from home can sometimes make you feel like you’re "sleeping at work."

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said in a virtual conference in September: “We’ve seen productivity drop in certain jobs and alienation go up in certain things."