Working women organise their time, tasks and diaries more efficiently, meaning they minimise the likelihood of their colleagues interrupting valuable time out. UK men are a third more likely to be interrupted by work and join a conference call while on holiday or during a family event. This is according to the latest independent research from Polycom, the global leader in voice, content and video collaboration.
More professional women than ever before are taking part in conference calls in taxis, trains and buses whilst on the move. Whereas, men are more likely to have attended a conference call onboard a plane.
The Great British garden is a favourite conference call location for people working from their homes with a fifth of us attending a meeting in the fresh air. The adoption of video conferencing continues to rise – with just over half (51 per cent) of conference calls now being made from outside the traditional office. Polycom attributes this workplace shift directly to the increased ease-of-use and quality user experience of collaborative and conferencing tools.
Tim Stone, Vice President of Marketing EMEA, for Polycom, said:
“Technology, such as video and audio conferencing solutions, enable us to connect and collaborate with our colleagues around the world from anywhere. However, it is important that we manage our workload so as not to infringe on valuable down time. We can’t always tally diaries with those of our colleagues, but quality time off is absolutely critical to mental wellbeing and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.”
According to the Polycom study, UK professionals will each spend 30 hours on conference calls per year and will take part in five virtual meetings a month – each lasting on average for half an hour. One in five of us have participated in a work conference from home in pyjamas.
One bold worker in every hundred has even used a conference call to resign from their job. In contrast to this one in ten UK professionals has attended a job interview via video. Again, UK women are leading the way in the adoption of new working methods – with a third more women stating they have met a potential new employer this way.
Tim Stone concluded:
“The UK workforce is getting ever more mobile, with two-thirds now working from home at least once a month. As businesses and their employees adopt flexible working styles, we all need to make sure that we draw clear boundaries. With the right culture, policies and technology in place, this should be easily achievable.”
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
