LONDON, UK - May 30, 2007 - UK employees think over one third of face-to-face business meetings are both unnecessary and counter-productive, according to research* from web collaboration experts WebEx, published today. On average, workers attend over 91 face-to-face meetings per year, which means that 33 per year are unnecessary, hampering productivity and contributing to UK businesses' carbon emissions.
However, Members of Parliament are leading the way in exploiting online meeting technology to reduce travel, cut their carbon footprints, increase access for constituents and save taxpayer money. Nick Hurd, the Conservative MP for Ruislip and Northwood, and Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP for Ceredigion, have been using WebEx web conferencing and video conferencing technology in the run up to World Environment Day on the 5th June, replacing unnecessary face-to-face meetings and cutting commuting times and costs.
MPs lead by example
Nick Hurd, the Conservative MP for Ruislip and Northwood, says, "As MPs, we are constantly having meetings with constituents, colleagues and other stakeholders. Many of these face-to-face meetings are necessary, but many are not. If all MPs took advantage of online meeting technology it would be a significant step in reducing thousands of travel miles and the associated carbon emissions."
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP for Ceredigion, comments, "I already use the train to travel to and from Westminster, but hope to further reduce my carbon footprint by stopping needless travel to Cardiff or across London for meetings. This also means that I'm reducing my travel expenses – so taxpayers' money can be put to better use. Another key reason for using web conferencing technology is that I want to be as accessible as possible to my constituents. Nothing can replace my traditional surgery, but this means that even when I have to be in London, I can have meetings with my constituents who are over 230 miles away.".
Road warriors to eco-warriors
Over 3.5 million people use WebEx every month reducing the time spent traveling to and from meetings that don't need to be face-to-face. Martin Bowman, Sales Director of Scottish software company Gael Quality, has been using online meetings for product demonstrations and customer events since 2003. "We used to spend around ten days per month on the road often holding no more than two meetings per day," explains Bowman. "Bringing meetings online means we've made huge savings whilst reducing carbon emissions. In fact, for our latest web event, we are due to have over 300 attendees from as far away as the US, Australia and the United Arab Emirates and nobody needs to leave their desks."
Bert van der Zwan, VP EMEA, WebEx said: "If the UK is to cut its carbon emissions by up to 32% by 2020, everyone will have to embrace smarter alternatives to commuting and business travel. UK businesses also need to wake up to the fact that overloading their employees with unnecessary meetings is not only damaging the environment, it's reducing productivity, increasing stress levels and creating a poor work-life balance. It's not about replacing face-to-face meetings altogether. It's about considering which meetings don't need to be done in person and using online technology to have effective meetings from anywhere."
WebEx Anywhere Campaign
Business travel is a huge contributor to carbon emissions, and WebEx is holding a two-day event on the 30th and 31st of May in London to show that online meetings are a viable alternative to unnecessary face-to-face ones. What's more, they can cut an organisation's carbon footprint, reduce travel costs and increase employee productivity.
Live online meetings will be held in several locations across the city, including Soho Square, Canary Wharf, Golden Square and Liverpool Street. WebEx employees will be demonstrating how to use online meetings and providing promotional materials including free trials, encouraging people to replace unnecessary face-to-face meetings with online meetings, particularly on 5th June – World Environment Day
WebEx has also launched a green section on its website – www.webex.co.uk/gogreen This features the WebEx Carbon Calculator, which businesses can use to calculate how they can reduce their carbon footprints by cutting down on unnecessary business travel.
Further research results
Reduction in productivity
Over a quarter (28%) of those surveyed feel that a reduction in the number of face-to-face meetings will improve overall productivity at work. Over a half (57%) admit to mulling over other work that needs to be done back at the office during meetings, whilst 39% make plans for the evening or weekend. In addition, over a quarter (26%) of male workers admit to daydreaming about sex.
Increased business travel
The length of time spent travelling to meetings is another major concern, especially for those travelling abroad, where an average of six days per employee is spent on this activity each year. One in five (20%) business travellers want to reduce their international business trips, and over a quarter (28%) mention damage to the environment as a reason for wanting to do so.
Improved work/life balance
Of those international business travellers who want to reduce their number of trips, more than half (57%) would do so to improve their work-life balance, with almost half (48%) preferring to spend this valuable time with family. However, employers will be pleased to learn that 38% of this group would use the time saved to get more work done
Less stress
Cutting the number of face-to-face meetings and business trips also benefits employees' health and general well-being. Nearly a quarter (21%) of respondents believe a reduction in the number of meetings will reduce their own stress levels, with almost one in three (30%) feeling the most stressful part of meetings is trying to catch up on other urgent messages or tasks. Travel problems add to the stress levels of over a quarter (27%) of us.
About the Research
YouGov plc, carried out this online survey on behalf of WebEx between 14th and 16th May 2007, using a sample of 2,240 adults .
