British Virtual Meeting Etiquette: Acceptable and Unacceptable Behaviors

Workplace video calls: A peek into colleagues' homes and acceptable conduct

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work and video conferencing have become the norm, offering time-saving benefits for businesses. However, this shift has also brought a new dimension to workplace dynamics: the visibility into colleagues' home environments. This raises questions about appropriate behavior during virtual meetings. We analyzed YouGov survey data from 2,076 British respondents to explore what's considered acceptable and unacceptable conduct.

Smoking/Vaping During Virtual Meetings:

A significant majority of respondents (67% of men and 84% of women) deemed smoking or vaping during virtual meetings unacceptable, regardless of the meeting's formality. Only a small percentage found it acceptable in any context.

Smoking/Vaping in Virtual Meetings	Male	Female
Acceptable in any meeting	5%	1%
Acceptable in informal/internal meetings	16%	10%
Unacceptable in any meeting	67%	84%
Don't know	11%	4%

Children's Presence During Virtual Meetings:

The survey revealed a less tolerant attitude towards children's presence during virtual calls. A substantial portion of respondents (59%) found it unacceptable to have children on one's lap during a meeting, while 54% considered even having children in the room unacceptable. This likely stems from concerns about potential disruptions and background noise.

Children on Lap During Virtual Meetings	Male	Female
Acceptable in any meeting	6%	3%
Acceptable in informal/internal meetings	28%	27%
Unacceptable in any meeting	54%	64%
Don't know	13%	6%

Children Present in Room During Virtual Meetings	Male	Female
Acceptable in any meeting	7%	4%
Acceptable in informal/internal meetings	32%	32%
Unacceptable in any meeting	50%	57%
Don't know	11%	7%

Pets in Virtual Meetings:

Interestingly, the survey showed more leniency towards pets. While 41% found having a pet on one's lap unacceptable in any meeting, and 43% found having a pet in the room unacceptable in formal meetings, a larger percentage considered it acceptable in informal settings.

Pets on Lap During Virtual Meetings	Male	Female
Acceptable in any meeting	10%	11%
Acceptable in informal/internal meetings	37%	41%
Unacceptable in any meeting	42%	43%
Don't know	12%	6%

Pets Present in Room During Virtual Meetings	Male	Female
Acceptable in any meeting	22%	27%
Acceptable in informal/internal meetings	41%	46%
Unacceptable in any meeting	26%	21%
Don't know	12%	7%

Eating During Virtual Meetings:

The survey also addressed eating during virtual meetings. A clear majority (68%) found eating a full meal unacceptable in any meeting, while 45% felt the same about eating snacks. A larger percentage found snacking acceptable in informal settings.

Eating Snacks During Virtual Meetings	Male	Female
Acceptable in any meeting	10%	8%
Acceptable in informal/internal meetings	37%	40%
Unacceptable in any meeting	42%	47%
Don't know	11%	5%

Eating Meals During Virtual Meetings	Male	Female
Acceptable in any meeting	4%	3%
Acceptable in informal/internal meetings	23%	20%
Unacceptable in any meeting	62%	73%
Don't know	11%	4%

These findings suggest a strong preference for maintaining professionalism during virtual meetings, with varying levels of tolerance for distractions depending on the context and the nature of the disruption. For the full YouGov survey results, click here. (Note: Replace https://www.php.cn/link/c5901b9d4264066fb9b92b3cb10d4434 with the actual link)

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