Half of people ‘struggle’ with the idea of more face to face meetings

A new poll claims that over half (52 percent) of office workers in the UK, who have experienced an increase in face to face meetings, are struggling to cope with the increased demand, as business travel and in person time is on the rise. For many this has resulted in an increase in business travel, with 35 percent admitting the frequency of work related travel has steadily increased over the last two years – in fact 66 percent of office workers have travelled up to 50 times for business in the last 12 months.

Whilst in person meetings and business travel are on the rise, virtual meetings persist with 53 percent saying there’s also an increase in remote meetings – according to the survey from Blacklane. For 48 percent of office workers this change is accompanied by a feeling of increased pressure to be constantly available, especially on the way to work and during business trips. This perception is significantly more pronounced among younger generations such as Generation Z (50 percent) than among baby boomers (31 percent).

When it comes to productivity on the go, 70 percent of UK office based professionals send emails outside of work, often when commuting or travelling (31 percent). According to the poll, 24 percent of UK office based professionals voted for the lack of internet connection as the worst part of trying to work on the go, followed by unplanned wait times and delays (17 percent), as well as noise (16 percent) and overcrowding (12 percent).

Image: BVN