Multi-tasking Aussie's risk embarrassing moments during concalls

The national survey from Premiere Global (PGi) asked 1,000 full-time workers about their remote meeting habits. Almost 90 per cent of Aussies do other things whilst on a conference call or web meeting. More than 40 per cent like to work on another task in tandem or go through their emails. Almost one in three have admitted to either watching TV, reading the news, checking social media sites or chatting with colleagues on unrelated subjects. Meanwhile, 15 per cent are happy to eat our way through!

Some of the most embarrassing conferencing moments included:

• "Speaking to the cat before realising the line wasn't muted"
• "Having a private email pop up when the boss was behind me during a web conference"
• "Yawning loudly then realising I wasn't on mute"

Joanne Rigby, marketing director at Premiere Global said, "Although the person on the other end of the line - or screen - cannot see you, it's important to participate in the meeting as if it is a face-to-face interaction, especially when more and more of us are regularly conducting meetings remotely. Simple things such as muting your phone or minimising your email and instant messaging pop-ups will help you to have a more professional meeting, and hopefully one that's blooper-free too."

Although you might not be able to see the person, Joanne offers some further valuable advice on appropriate conferencing etiquette for both those involved and the meeting organisers, enabling more productive meetings both online and over the phone:

• Staying engaged: To ensure people are focused throughout a call, keeping them on their toes will decrease the amount of time they spend multitasking. If you're presenting, ask lots of questions and make calls as interactive as possible.

• Be organised: Send through a meeting agenda in advance, and ask attendees to come prepared with information they want to discuss in the meeting too. Not only will this help more people get involved, but it will also mean the meeting is likely to stay on track and not go off at tangents.

• Cut out the noise: You wouldn't expect interruptions in a face-to-face meeting, so for those that are frequently on the move and have to take conference calls on the run, make sure conference details are included in the Outlook invitation, along with instructions to mute/un-mute their line to block out background noise.

• Seeing is believing: With technology opening up more doors than ever before, the ability to use web conferencing in conjunction with the telephone means that it's possible to see people on webcams throughout the meeting too. Having some face-to-face time makes things far more personal.

Employers more flexible

The research also revealed some pretty interesting places that Aussies have taken part in a work-related conference call or web conference, including at the pub, in the supermarket, during a flight, and even in the bathroom!

 "Whilst calls have taken place in some rather interesting locations, it's clear that Aussies are also using collaboration tools to work more flexibly, with more than one in five (23%) having used web or audio conferencing for work purposes while at home. It shows that businesses and employees are really embracing technology to allow them more freedom in their work," adds Joanne.

However, for those who are working from home, it can sometimes be difficult to switch off or create clear bounds for work and rest. "Try to create a defining moment - such as walking the dog or having a glass of wine - to signal the formal end of your working day," continues Joanne.

PGi's research was conducted by Pure Profile and included qualitative and quantitative findings. All interviews were conducted in January 2010 and were sourced from an online research panel. The survey polled 1,000 Australians balanced to represent current Australian demographics of age, gender and state.