Accidentally sending a message to the wrong person at head office when complaining about someone, not realising I had sent it to the person I was complaining aboutNew research by 247meeting has revealed the UK’s top communication frustrations as well as the biggest blunders in the workplace including:
- Over a third of Brits say meetings over lunchtime is their biggest work frustration
- A phone call is the second most preferred form of communication, above email
- Junior staff would much prefer to send an email than pick up the phone to call colleagues
- People aged 55-64 would prefer to use Snapchat to communicate with work friends more than people aged 18-24
- The top 10 communication blunders at work are revealed
The research shows that overall, Brits don’t enjoy going to unnecessary meetings that could have been resolved via email or over the phone. But workers have also admitted the mishaps they have experienced during office hours, the top 10 are revealed:
- I sent my CV to my manager looking for another job
- Confirming to my boss I wasn’t ill but at a job interview instead of to my best mate
- Accidentally sending a message to the wrong person at head office when complaining about someone, not realising I had sent it to the person I was complaining about
- I did once complain about a colleague to another colleague when I made a phone call to them. What I didn’t know was that call was on loud speaker and it was overheard by that person who was present in the room.
- I didn’t realize I was on speaker phone when I called a colleague and was rather casual saying WASUUUP! And my managers heard!
- I sent an instant message on Lync to my colleague that was joking about some biscuits. He was presenting in a meeting and my message came up on the big screen and everyone saw
- I was on the telephone to someone and thought she had put me on hold and I said to my colleague, ‘she has just repeated everything I said to her’ and she hadn’t put me on hold and said ‘are you talking about me’!!.
- I texted my new boss saying “changed your Dublin flight” but it autocorrected to “changed your f***ing flight”
- I said ‘love you too’ in an interview, I meant to say ‘lovely to meet you’ but added the ‘ you too’ because my interviewer said the same thing at the same time (lovely to meet you!)
- Emailed a client ‘Please don’t get in touch if you have any questions’
As part of this research, 247meeting have collaborated with comedian Robin Morgan and filmed his reactions to some of the communication blunders above, you can download the film here:
Meetings over lunchtime seem to be a high frustration for many including men, as 42% of male workers get annoyed with a lunchtime meeting, compared to only a third of female workers who can’t stand them.
36% of senior managers find it frustrating when colleagues email them when they are based in the same building, proving that face-to-face interaction is still the preferred communication at work, especially for more senior staff.
Most Brits prefer face-to-face meetings in the workplace but surprisingly, a phone call is the second most preferred form of communication, above email. However, junior staff would still much prefer to send an email than pick up the phone to call colleagues.
- Face-to-face
- Phone Call
- Text
- Video Call
- Photo messaging
- Direct message – social media
- Workplace messaging
- Voice notes
When it comes to social media, 18-24-year olds are often using direct messages on various platforms to communicate with work friends but surprisingly, people aged 55 and above would prefer to use Snapchat or other photo message platforms to communicate with work friends more than people aged 18-24.
Comparing the way people interact at work, we also looked at how people interact with friends and family members. People aged 25-34 would opt to have a phone call with friends and family overseeing them face-to-face and people aged 55 and over are more likely to still use email to get in contact with loved ones.
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