Most Annoying Conference Call Habits Revealed 

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30 September 2020

“I need to jump on another call” is officially the most annoying conference call phrase according to a survey of 1,000 UK workers.

The UK government’s working from home U-turn means that video conferencing calls will continue to be a major part of most home workers’ daily routine

Easy Offices surveyed 1,000 UK workers, to find out which phrases we as a nation find the most annoying,  as well as what awkward moments we’ve experienced whilst on conference calls. 

Those surveyed named “I need to jump on another call” as the UK’s most annoying phrase to hear on a conference call, with a fifth of respondents saying so. 

This was followed by “You’re on mute” and “We lost you for a minute there”.

“It was quite surprising to see what people say they experienced on a conference call, from witnessing someone’s bad habits to having colleagues commenting on people’s appearance and surroundings.” 

–Andy De Wet Steyn

Finance and Operations Director, Easy Offices

Top Ten Annoying Video Call Phrases

1. "I need to jump on another call"
2. "You're on mute"
3. "We lost you for a minute there"
4. "Do we have everyone here?"
5. "Can you see my screen"
6. "Can everyone mute themselves please"
7. "Let's take this offline"
8. "Conscious there's only X minutes left"
9. "I'm getting really bad feedback"
10. "I've got a hard stop at X o'clock"

Over Half Surveyed Prefer to Have Their Cameras Off 

When asking about interruptions during calls, a third (33%) of people experienced interruptions to business calls by children or other parties. 

The findings also showed that 22 per cent of respondents heard a colleague say something inappropriate. 17 per cent said they saw someone picking their nose, with the IT and telecoms industry being the worst when it comes to this bad habit. 

13 per cent of those surveyed said they witnessed someone farting or belching on a conference call. This rises in the sales and marketing industry where 20 per cent said this has happened. 

Furthermore, 13 per cent said they had witnessed people arguing with other people at home while on a call, and saw someone being partially or fully naked (10 per cent).

Over half (53 per cent) of the UK would prefer to have their cameras off during calls, 41 per cent stating it actually makes them feel uncomfortable. However, that is not an option for over a third (36 per cent) who admitted that they had been pressured by their employers to have their camera on, with some feedback stating that when talking to people outside of your own organisation trust levels were decreased when a person was not visible.

Comments on Appearance or Surroundings

21 per cent said they had someone commenting on their appearance or surroundings, with men receiving more comments (25 per cent) compared to women (15 per cent). Age is also a factor in this with 31 per cent of 25-34-year-olds stating colleagues had made derogatory comments compared to 11 per cent of 45-54-year-olds and just 6 per cent of 55+ year olds. 

Andy De Wet Steyn from Easy Offices commented: “It was quite surprising to see what people say they experienced on a conference call, from witnessing someone’s bad habits to having colleagues commenting on people’s appearance and surroundings. 

“Our research highlights that we all need to be professional while on a conference call and friendly to our colleagues, keeping the same behaviour we would have in the office.”

Picture: a photograph showing a person on a video conference call with three others

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 30 September 2020

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