Ridiculously, I learned the other day through trial-and-error that the mic on my headset isn't actually getting used; rather, the one on the laptop is. The device is Bluetooth, and Bluetooth has two modes of operation: A2DP, which is output-only (no mic), and the default. But the laptop mic gets used. The other mode, HSP/HFP, can use the mic, but the audio quality drops tremendously. Like, to garbage levels. My best research said this was because BT lacks the bandwidth to carry both mic input & sound output simultaneously.
The headset at least still has the benefit of isolating the output from the conference to my ears, s.t. the laptop mic picks it up, but it would be nice to not be tethered to the laptop and be able to pace the room.
Bluetooth handsfree is not great quality but seems to work semi acceptably for phone calls in my car. I guess with multiple parties on a video call it might be worse?
Better for them to just point their laptop microphone at the whole room and let the poor saps at the other end suffer.