Finding and booking a free meeting room has topped the list of office bugbears for UK workers – according to new research.
Over three quarters (77%) of UK workers revealed booking a meeting room is the most frustrating aspect of working in an office.
The study, conducted by RedstoneConnect, found having to ask colleagues to leave a room they’d booked was the most annoying thing about office-based meetings, with actually booking the meeting room and getting the phone or computer in the room to work following closely.
The cause of meeting room woes stems from the difficultly in booking free rooms. A third (33%) of UK workers reported they spend more than 30 minutes every week trying to book meeting room space during the average week.
The study found the most common way to book free rooms is via email Outlook, yet an overwhelming 70% of office workers feel this system is woefully inadequate.
Contrary to our perception of being a conflict-averse bunch, less than a third (23%) of Brits feel embarrassed or awkward about kicking out colleagues who have stolen their pre-booked meeting room – with more than two-thirds (71%) having to ask cheeky colleagues to leave rooms more than three times a week.
The time wasted trying to book meeting rooms is frustrating many across the country, with nearly half (43%) revealing it significantly hinders their productivity at work.
Mark Braund, CEO of RedstoneConnect said, “Booking meeting rooms is clearly one of the most stressful parts of working in a UK office. People tend to book spaces and then not use them, blocking others from taking advantage of the facilities. This leads to the inaccurate perception there is insufficient capacity.
“We need to provide the technological infrastructure that supports agile working where individuals are able to work wherever suits at that time. With new platforms that help visualise what space and assets are available at any time, staff can make the most of their environment, rather than not using a room because it has been ‘booked’.”
For more information on the study go to meetingscanbebetter.com to access the supporting white paper.