Web conferences 'boost productivity'

News Article - 31 May 2007
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Online conferences are regarded as being more productive than face-to-face meetings, according to a survey of UK employees.

The poll conducted by YouGov found that more than a third of employees believe meetings in person waste time, IT Week reports.

The average worker attends 91 business meetings every year, the survey found, with an average 37 deemed to be unnecessary.

It was also suggested that face-to-face meetings fail to engage participants as they should, with some also claiming they are stressful and impact negatively on work-life balance.

Commenting on the survey to the IT Week website, Bert van der Zwan of web conferencing software firm WebEx said companies "need to wake up to the fact" that unnecessary meetings damage the environment, reduce productivity and lead to higher stress and poorer work-life balance among employees.

Meanwhile, Verizon Business director of international products Roberta Mackintosh said it is "key" for multinational firms to collaborate across "globally dispersed operations" in a cost-effective manner.

A recent Frost & Sullivan survey determined that in any business, collaboration through online conferencing, email and instant messaging is a crucial driver to performance.

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