1. Your background noise is louder than you think
With the rise of distributed work in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic – where we work from various locations – very few places are completely silent. At the office, your colleague next to you may be on another call. At a café, the ambient chatter and the clank of dishes from the kitchen are constant. And even at home, unexpected rings on the doorbell and barking dogs can pop up.
While this diversity of possible working locations has brought with it major flexibility and well-being benefits, it’s no secret that it’s brought with it new challenges. Even when you think you’re in the clear, noise will always find a way to arise
2. You keep needing to repeat yourself
In some ways, this is linked to number one. But if your microphone isn’t picking up your voice properly – either because it’s busy picking up the noise around you or because it simply isn’t optimized for online meetings – you will often need to repeat yourself. If you have to repeat your good idea over and over, it probably won’t have the intended effect.
3. Your Bluetooth connection keeps dropping
Now this is a particularly annoying one, as it often stops all work in its tracks until it can be solved. Imagine you’re presenting your latest work to your colleagues and all of a sudden your audio cuts out. Meanwhile, you keep on talking, completely oblivious to the situation. Eventually, you see the messages in the chat letting you know that no one can hear you. You try reconnecting your earbuds. You leave the meeting and rejoin. And finally you just get frustrated and start using your laptop audio (putting yourself at high risk of background noise interruptions!). During all that time, the meeting got off track and time was wasted.
4. You’re not as productive as you could be
Microsoft’s latest 2023 Work Trend Index reported that the amount of time spent in Microsoft Teams meetings and calls per week has increased by 300% since February 2020. Similarly, they reported that “having inefficient meetings” was employees’ largest obstacle to productivity.
How can we improve hybrid meetings?
In Jabra’s latest Hybrid Ways of Working research, they’ve surveyed employees in six key markets around the world to focus on the state of meetings and uncover the largest barriers and opportunities for employees and organisations. Download the full report
Key findings:
- Employees are spending more time in the office as the return-to-office (RTO) intensifies
- Gen Z and Millennials are still feeling left out in online meetings
- Using video can have a positive and empowering impact on your career
- Employees aren’t yet comfortable with meeting room technology. It’s time to help them.
- Many employees still have limited access to video-equipped meeting rooms
From these findings it is apparent that there are still major challenges to overcome in our path to inclusive and productive work, but technology and knowledge keep evolving to meet the moment. When people are confident on video, they’re able to show their most professional self. This can have major career benefits for employees, as they’re able to create an impression of engagement and confidence while collaborating.
Speak to us know to learn more about the range and the latest offers
Help your customers unlock the next wave of inclusive and productive collaboration with Jabra’s professional range of audio and video conferencing devices.
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