The poll of office workers, from GoTo by LogMeIn and fielded by One Poll, reveals a picture of employees drowning in a culture of communications chaos, with many complaining about the inadequacies of office meetings. While almost half of employees (47 per cent) prefer face-to-face meetings with their colleagues, they often find these meetings frustrating.
Although the average UK office worker attends over 12 meetings a week, they commonly complain that these meetings do not start on time (cited by 22 per cent of respondents), that they always overrun (27 per cent) and that other attendees arrive late (27 per cent).
The research also reveals that employees are conflicted when it comes to communications in the office. While almost half say that they prefer in-person communication, a similar proportion of respondents (48 per cent) said that they find written communications easier. Meanwhile over one third (34 per cent) said they feel face-to-face meetings could be replaced with written communications.
“Poor communications between colleagues is one of the biggest causes of poor productivity and resentment at work, yet it’s clear that many businesses are still struggling to facilitate effective collaboration,” said Sion Lewis, Vice President of EMEA at LogMeIn.
”This will not necessarily be the same for all; what’s important is that organisations work with their employees to give them a choice of effective options. Giving teams the right tools is one of the best ways to boost productivity while simultaneously improving employee morale.”