AS the coronavirus pandemic transformed millions of people worldwide into telecommuters, work meetings are inevitably moved to video conferencing apps like Zoom and Skype. A new survey shows that videoconferencing presents a slew of challenges for workers.
As home offices are becoming the new norm, San Francisco-based online recruitment company Zippia has surveyed 2,000 American workers to see how they are coping with online video meetings.
Nearly half of those surveyed (47 percent) reveal that they prefer in-person meetings, with one in five people claiming that their virtual work meetings are rarely productive.
When asked about the most annoying aspects of videoconferencing, most workers complain about loud background noises, late starts and technical difficulties.
However, more than half oft hose surveyed are frustrated by the fact that these meetings could have easily been replaced by emails.
In the age of coronavirus, plenty of people are tempted to multitask while taking part in a virtual meeting with several of their stuck-at-home coworkers.
The survey also reports that more than half of workers surveyed check their emails or send text messages during their videoconferences.
Forty-five percent of them take advantage of the proximity to their kitchen to grab a snack, especially in Montana and Idaho. Meanwhile, teleworkers in Maine tend to surf on the internet during their work meetings.
Other common things telecommuters confess to doing during their video conferences include taking care of their pets, watching TV, lying in bed, using the bathroom and even sleeping.
Even more surprisingly, over 15 percent of people are bold enough to do household chores during that Zoom meeting.