Polycom: Nearly Half of Brits Put On a ‘Phone Voice’ for Conference Calls

Uncovering the UK’s most infuriating business idioms

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Published: November 16, 2017

Ian Taylor Editor

Ian Taylor

Editor

A major study into the UK’s conference call habits has revealed some interesting findings about the way Brits talk and the faux pas we make on conference calls. With UK workers spending an average of 30 hours a year on conference calls, 42% of Britons find themselves “often” or “sometimes” putting on a phone voice, according to research out today from Polycom, the global leader in voice, content and video collaboration.

UK workers take part in an average of five conference calls each month. As virtual meetings become a more prevalent part of our working life, so meeting etiquette continues to evolve.

For example, one in five of us (19%) has laughed out loud on a conference call, while the idioms most likely to infuriate UK workers includes: “Ducks in a row”, “Going forwards” and “Touch base”.

One in six of us has been left mortified by getting someone’s name wrong on a call, and 17% of us have accidentally dialled into the wrong meeting. Not forgetting those uninvited special guests that might show up on a call – with one in five of us having met a work colleague’s pet via video conference.

“Conference calls are becoming more prevalent as organisations see the benefits of flexible arrangements, meaning work is increasingly carried out from locations other than the office,” said business etiquette expert, Emma Dupont.

“This means that the rules around conference calls are evolving fast, especially with the option of webcam being increasingly deployed. With many people now working from their home office it is vital to remember that a professional image is still paramount. We should approach conference calls and webcam meetings with the same care and attention that we would in an office environment, and give specific consideration to our appearance, our diction and the backdrop   that can be seen on a video call.”

According to the Polycom study, and contrary to the changeable UK weather – one in five of us (18%) has taken a conference call in the garden. With a bold one in every hundred workers choosing to resign over conference call.

Tim Stone, Vice President of Marketing EMEA, for Polycom, said:

“The UK workforce is getting ever more mobile, with two-thirds of us now working from home at least once a month. As our working styles continue to evolve and more of us are embracing flexible working from different locations – employers need to ensure their teams are fully equipped with the best technology solutions available to support this shift.”

About Polycom, Inc.
Polycom helps organisations unleash the power of human collaboration. More than 400,000 companies and institutions worldwide defy distance with secure video, voice and content solutions from Polycom to increase productivity, speed time to market, provide better customer service, expand education and save lives. Polycom and its global partner ecosystem provide flexible collaboration solutions for any environment that deliver the best user experience, the broadest multi-vendor interoperability and unmatched investment protection.

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