A new survey from ne of the UK’s leading job sites, CV-Library finds virtual meetings on platforms such as Zoom are driving Liverpool workers crazy. Tony McDonough reports

Since the coronavirus lockdown came into force online meetings using platforms such as Zoom have become all the rage – but they are apparently not popular with Liverpool workers.

A new survey from one of the UK’s leading job sites, CV-Library, has found 84.6% of white collar workers in Liverpool think virtual work meetings are a waste of time. And 20.8% admitted they will excuse themselves from online meetings when they get bored.

The study surveyed 2,000 working white collar staff and reveals that men were most likely to see them as a waste of time (81.3% of men vs 67.8% of women), and were also more likely to abandon an online meeting altogether (40.7% of men vs 26.8% of women). 

Alongside this, it found 95.5% of workers in Liverpool currently have up to four virtual meetings a day, with each of these lasting around an hour. Worse still, 13.6% said they spend around 6.5 hours in virtual meetings every day.

It also revealed 39.1% of respondents in Liverpool say their most productive meetings are under 30 minutes long, while 17.4% said 45 minutes, 26.1% an hour, 13% an hour and a half and 4.3% two hours plus.  

Lee Biggins, founder and chief executive of  CV-Library, said: “We know that more people are working from home right now than ever before and it’s definitely taking some getting used to.

“While it’s great to keep the momentum going and connect with colleagues via conference calls or video chats, there is an argument that these can sometimes be counter productive – especially if they’re filling up your entire day or nothing positive ever comes out of them.   

“Try to get a good balance of personal and professional chat. It doesn’t need to be business all the time. For some people, virtual meetings may be all the interaction they have with others right now, so be sensitive of everyone’s situations.

“If you’re worried that you’re not getting much out of the meetings you’re attending, why not suggest that you shake them up a bit by introducing presentations or setting a clear agenda.”