Businesses waste a full-time working week setting up video calls

Research conducted by MAXHUB found that out of 2,000 British workers, most (59%) take up to 10 minutes to set up video conferencing calls. 

Although this may not sound like much, the company says it equates to 200 minutes a month – or 40 hours a year – based on the five meetings a week over a third (34%) of workers say they have. 

What’s more, most 18-24 year olds (78%) took up to 10 minutes, as opposed to only 57% of 55-64 year olds. This may not necessarily be an indication of technological abilities – it could be a case of the former demographic being more diligent in their preparations, and perhaps the latter may face issues later on in their calls.

Inadequate setups

The report found workers often had mixed feelings regarding the audio-visual (AV) technology available to them. Nearly a third (28%) felt that they were not given the right tools for their job, with just under a  quarter (23%) said that they felt excluded from remote meetings due to the inadequate technology they had to deal with.

Over half (54%) said having the right tools would be a sticking point when taking a new role, particularly for the 18-24 demographic, where nearly three-quarters (74%) said it would be a deal-breaker.

MAXHUB’s Tony McCool elaborated that as hybrid working has taken hold in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, companies are failing to adapt quickly enough by offering the right technologies to their employees for remote meeting and collaboration purposes.

On the topic of collaboration, MAXHUB claimed that the lack of sufficient technology for hybrid working is negatively impacting workplace collaboration, since it stifles the ability of employees – both remote and those in office – to communicate and work together as effectively as they would in person.

When probing further about video conferencing technology, MAXHUB found that ease of use was ranked as a top priority by 48% of respondents, with 37% citing immediate meeting starts with no technological delays as vital for successful hybrid working. 37% also rated having a good microphone as essential for clarity and audibility during meetings.