Are your employees engaged during hybrid meetings?

閱讀中文版本

According to a recent survey in Singapore, respondents have admitted to taking their meetings in bed (22%) and faking technical issues to get out of meetings early (10%).

Despite organisations welcoming more employees back into physical office spaces, some workers still remain hesitant to return to the office — according to a recent survey of 1,000 workers in Singapore by Logitech, 9% of respondents prefer to work full-time in the office. At the same time, more than six in 10 respondents (63%) continue to work remotely to some extent, either in a hybrid or fully remote working arrangement.

As a whole, the survey examines the state of current working arrangements, impact of hybrid work on meetings, challenges that employers and employees are facing with hybrid work, and sheds insights into how workers are adapting to the new way of working.

Particularly, the survey took a look into meeting habits of employees.

Over six in 10 (68%) respondents who joined meetings remotely have replied to emails while others are talking, while more than half (51%) have used social media, and 46% have browsed the web. Additionally, a small group of respondents admitted to taking their meetings in bed (22%) and faking technical issues to get out of meetings early (10%).

Such behaviours could be the result of an uneven playing field due to unequitable hybrid meetings. As the survey clarifies, meeting equity refers to an organisation’s ability to ensure that all meeting participants have an equal opportunity to contribute to discussions, whether they are attending virtually or in-person.

As the survey revealed, 54% of employees who have joined a hybrid meeting virtually reported feeling that they had fewer opportunities to build rapport with meeting participants. Additionally, 39% agreed that their input would be valued more if they were attending the meeting physically instead of virtually, and 38% felt less included as compared to in-person meeting participants.

Better meeting experiences

Respondents highlighted that technical issues are the most significant challenges with hybrid meetings, with connectivity issues (56%) and poor audio quality (53%) ranking amongst the top concerns. Further, 34% of respondents also shared that poor video quality was an issue they experienced during hybrid meetings.

This highlights a way teams can overcome the equity issue, as 61% of respondents believe it is easier to engage with virtual participants with their cameras on during meetings. Over six in 10 respondents (61%) agreed that hybrid meetings are more engaging when video conferencing systems with high-quality audio and video output are used.

Lead image / Logitech

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!