Most of us are used to being on camera at least some of the time. Whether it’s at the grocery store, on the highway, or even in the workplace, security cameras are everywhere.
But when the expectation is that everyone has their camera on during Zoom calls, things can get awkward. A Redditor detailed her story on the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit.
“Cameras have to be on…NO MATTER WHAT! Fine by me, don’t mind the pump.”

The title of the post is both confusing and perfectly sums up the whole story, so let’s take a step back and provide some context.
OP is a project manager and data scientist who’s been doing work with a federal government department.
She just returned to work from maternity leave.

On days when OP is in the office, she has a private space to go where she can pump breast milk.
“I have a hands-free, wearable pump which is convenient…but still definitely obvious if I am wearing it,” she wrote, explaining that it pokes out above her shirt and makes noise.
Things went down during a Zoom call.

Because OP needed to pump during this time, she decided to keep her camera off.
“Heck, I was even IN my office and not working from home,” she emphasized. “I felt like I was being a pretty committed employee!”
She wasn’t the only one with her camera switched off.

The lead of the project noticed this, then said, “I want to remind everyone that our expectation is that you will have your cameras on because this is not a virtual meeting, it is a simulated in-person meeting.”
I mean, it was a virtual meeting — it was on Zoom — but let’s set that aside.
“I sent a quick private message to explain I was paying attention, but pumping.”

OP received no response. At this point, she decided to turn on her camera. While it wasn’t aimed at her chest, it was clear that she was pumping.
“I unmuted myself, so you could also clearly HEAR the pump, and just said, ‘Thank you for your patience, I was adjusting my breast pump,” OP explained.
Things got awkward.

Other team members let OP know it was okay to turn the camera off, but she decided to continue complying with the call leader’s weird directive.
Things changed afterwards, though. At the next meeting, the directive changed to, “Please turn on your cameras if you are comfortable doing so.”
It could have been an HR nightmare.

“OP could’ve made a stink and had [the lead] canned on the spot anywhere I’ve ever worked, especially after attempting to explain in private,” wrote one poster.
Replies to the comment said that OP definitely should have said something to HR.
We can all learn from this.

If you’re in charge of a Zoom call, it can be frustrating when some team members have their cameras off, especially if they’re not participating in the conversation. But if you require them to have cameras on, you might see stuff that you really don’t want to see.
What do you think?

How would you handle this situation? I see it two ways: you could ignore the directive and keep the camera off, or you could do what OP did and maliciously comply. From there, one might also want to contact HR.
Let us know what you think of this story, and what you would have done, in the comments section!
Last Updated on May 6, 2022 by D