A recent Gallup poll suggested only 18% of remote and hybrid employees thought virtual meeting communications were effective.
Gallup Inc. surveyed U.S. full-time employees in May 2024, and found a surprising sentiment among a sub-set of their responders: lesser full-time remote and hybrid workers feel communications in virtual meetings are effective.
We found this data point interesting given the dynamic nature of workplace flexibility among various size companies (looking at you, Amazon). More importantly, the nature of workplace arrangements - which used to be set at the top - is now changing constantly as more team- and worker-level sentiments are surveyed.
The Data
Gallup asked full-time remote and hybrid employees if communication during virtual meetings is more effective, less effective or if there wasn't a difference compared to in-person meetings. A surprising smaller amount (18% of respondents) said that virtual meetings are more effective than in-person meetings, compared to 30% that said virtual meetings were less effective. Over half (52%) found no difference between virtual and in-person meetings.
Our Take
More remote and hybrid workers found communications in in-person meetings still more effective despite a wider set of workplace location availabilities made available to them. When pitched in with coworkers whose views are more ambivalent, this created a visual that simplified how a typical meeting looks like for modern day teams.
Perhaps what this data supports is the need to still conduct certain meetings in-person, where complexity and interpersonal spatial cues are just as important to getting what teams need out of that meeting. For example: brainstorms where complex ideas are being workshopped (i.e.: mapped, considered, edited) in real-time, onboarding sessions where model behaviours are more easily observed, or presentations that are high stakes and require not just dynamic feedback, but also a "feel for the room" to move ahead with confidence.
When it comes to the frequency of these types of "higher touch" collaborations, it's usually dependent on the team's needs and culture. This is why we created a new type of "office category", Flexday Suites, that address the cost-benefit of using such meeting spaces when the need absolutely calls for them.
For most companies, the shifting requirement of individuals and teams doesn't translate to maintaining previous levels of office real estate, which is why it makes more sense to reduce footprint and/or work with flex spaces that can be booked on-demand.
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To find out more about Flexday Suites, a private self-contained team space with meeting rooms that you don't need to commit to other than the days you need them (ad hoc), click here.
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