In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there
UK workers’ worst virtual working habits
Nearly half of UK workers (48%) have joined a virtual meeting from the bathroom, 8% have had sex during a virtual meeting, and 14% have taken a nap, finds a survey from Jugo, a specialist in immersive virtual experiences.
Some 66% have texted friends during virtual meetings, 22.5% have gone for a walk , 18% have worked out, with 25% having taken a meeting while at the gym, and 18% from the doctor’s office. Some 33% have lied about their locations during virtual meetings.
When it comes to what is considered the rudest behaviour, the worst offense is nose picking, according to 28%.
Although many respondents (47%) confirm virtual meetings are their preferred setup, citing commuting concerns, for example, there’s also evidence that focus can be a struggle. The survey found that a quarter (25%) of UK workers find it hard to pay attention in meetings because of poor eye contact, 23% acknowledge they look at themselves in a meeting, 23% that they’re distracted by other participants, while 10.5% don’t look at other participants.
According to the survey, 16% of UK workers report having up to 20 hours of virtual meetings per week.
Despite some questionable activities, many UK workers exhibit positive behaviours in virtual meetings. An overwhelming majority (86%) confirm they’re always or often on time and sit up straight and have good posture (72%) on video calls. More than two-thirds (67%) report they never or only sometimes interrupt others.
The survey highlights too that virtual meetings are prompting UK workers to change their workday appearance. Just under a third (31%) don’t “dress for success” in the virtual world, with 23% wearing sweatpants and 5% wearing nothing below their shirt during a virtual meeting. Some 31% shave and shower, and nearly half (46%) don’t style their hair before a virtual meeting. Just under a third (31%) admit to using filters to make themselves look better in virtual meetings, with ‘touch up my appearance’ being the most popular (58%), followed by lip colourings (22%) and eyebrow fillers (20%).
Whistle while you work
Playing music while working can deliver a host of benefits such as helping people feel calmer and more motivated, finds research.
Some 93% of workers agree that playing music can create a calmer working environment and can help to alleviate stress and anxiety, according to research by the Music Licence. The survey of 500 workers also found that 79% feel more motivated when music is playing, 81% said that they enjoy listening to background music while they work, and 89% said playing music helps to lift the atmosphere in the workplace. Some 87% of people think that playing background music creates a positive working environment and 86% agree they feel more engaged and focused when background music is playing in their workplace.
The Music Licence collects licence fees from UK businesses and organisations for the use of recorded music on behalf of record companies, performers, songwriters, composers and publishers.
ChatGPT termination letters
HR departments in tech companies are using AI to draft termination letters.
One in 10 HR employees within the tech sector are using ChatGPT to craft employee terminations, finds a report from a survey of 213 HR professionals and 792 workers in the tech industry, carried out by B2B Reviews.
Half have used it for other daily tasks on the job and, on average, reported saving 70 minutes a week through the platform.
The survey looked at larger issues around employee satisfaction in the tech industry and found unnerving results – nearly 40% do not feel that they can confidently come to HR with a problem while one in 10 described their current company culture as “toxic”.
Workers strive to look busy
Employees feel pressured to “look busy”, with 30% of the average UK desk worker’s day lost to “performative work” – tasks done to appear productive, but don’t contribute to company goals, finds a study from instant messaging platform, Slack.
Some 37% of UK workers believe their productivity is measured by visibility, such as hours spent in the office or online. This is most likely causing the time lost to performative work, Slack concludes.
Slack surveyed more than 18,000 desk workers worldwide, including 2,027 in the UK.
According to the survey respondents, almost 43% of meetings could be eliminated with no real adverse consequences.
According to the Slack study, 38% of workers said their top barrier to productivity was staying motivated, while 39% said they were more productive when they were able to choose the hours they worked.
However, 40% of business leaders said they were concerned that providing greater flexibility would cause a decline in productivity, and 36% said ‘coordination’ would be more challenging as a result, according to the survey.
- Contributions to this slot are welcome.
Email: liz.hall@coaching-at-work.com