Online meetings are far from being a thing of the past, as a recent survey of 1,000 desk workers revealed that over 6 in 10 UK desk workers work remotely for part or all of their role. A new study by computing and tech retailer, Currys explored the least favourite habits during an online call, including what happens when cameras are off.
One of the advantages of working from home is avoiding in-office quarrels regarding smelly food and differing music tastes, but it seems that even minimal interaction during online meetings is enough time to annoy colleagues.
The survey found that the behaviour that irritates workers the most, with nearly half (49%) of the UK’s desk workers agreeing, is when online call participants eat during a meeting. A 2021 study, also by Currys, found that chewing was voted the most annoying noise by 49% of Brits, suggesting it is the noises associated with eating that are irritating workers on calls, rather than the act itself.
It seems that people are becoming too comfortable with remote working situations as the next most annoying online call habits for nearly four in 10 (37%), was burping and farting.
| Rank | Habits on online calls/meetings | % respondents that find this annoying |
| 1 | Eating | 49% |
| 2 | Burping/farting | 37% |
| 3 | Inappropriate comments | 36% |
| 4 | Interrupting you/someone | 33% |
| 4 | Mumbling | 33% |
| 5 | Background noise | 30% |
Inappropriate comments (35%), interruptions while speaking (33%), mumbling (33%), and background noise (30%) were all also highlighted in the survey. So, keep these in mind to avoid frustrating your colleagues on calls.
What happens when the camera is turned off?
Not having your camera on during these video calls was found to only annoy 12% of workers in the UK, but what are workers up to while they go incognito?
The study found that 27% of desk workers are engaged in their online calls and admit to doing nothing “extra” when their camera is off. However, the other 73% admit to being distracted and are using “camera off” time to focus on other things.
The majority of these 73% do choose to maximise this time, with 3 in 10 using it to focus on other work tasks, allowing them to utilise meeting times to be productive. However, nearly the same number (27%) admit to spending this time on their phones texting and nearly a fifth (18%) are either scrolling on their phones or desktops, or even using it as an opportunity to go to the toilet- hopefully not taking the call with them.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.