A research study* finds that 19% of employees believe they have too many meetings, whilst just under one-quarter (24%) state their meetings run on for too long. This percentage is higher for Brits than other international respondents, as only 19% of employees in the US stated their meetings drag, compared to 23% in France, 22% in Australia and 20% in Canada. 

According to employees, the main goal behind company gatherings is to increase productivity, followed by aiding decision-making and problem-solving. Yet despite this, the main factor causing employees to lose focus during meetings was their length (at 43%).

Moreover, 20% of employees stated their company meetings do not have a clear agenda devised beforehand. Meanwhile, 24% claim their meetings don’t start or end on time.

What kind of meetings do employees prefer? 

Just under half of the sample (46%) have a balance of in-person and virtual meetings, whilst just over one-third (35%) have mainly virtual meetings. Most respondents prefer having in-person meetings for team bonding exercises (74%) or one-to-ones with managers (59%). The ways employees regularly collaborate with their co-workers include:

• Via email (57%)
• Through video meetings (37%)
• Phone calls (26%)
• Document management software (24%)
• Collaboration software (18%)

According to associates, the most valuable features to help foster collaboration and engagement during virtual meetings are screen sharing, followed by in-meeting chat and content sharing. 

David Jani, Content Analyst at Software Advice UK, comments:

“Meetings provide a vital space for companies to foster collaboration although, as our study found, there are key factors that can undermine this mission. For instance, meetings with long durations and irrelevant information are the main contributors to a loss of focus during meetings within our sample.

Respondents also indicated that meetings can operate smoothly in a hybrid environment and features such as screen sharing facilitate better engagement. Yet, there are times when in-person meetings are preferred, such as for team bonding events and one-to-one meetings with managers. Understanding elements and planning with details like this in mind can help organisations keep employees engaged and make meetings as effective as possible.” 

*Software Advice’s 2024 Collaboration and Productivity Survey was conducted online in January 2024 and surveyed 6,490 international respondents, 496 of whom were based in the UK.