Virtual Meetings or Face-to-Face Interaction at Work?

Today’s workplace communities are increasingly scattered around different physical locations, spanning offices in various cities and even countries – not to mention those who work remotely 100% of the time. Therefore, it is not surprising that more or less every office worker has become familiar with virtual meetings and different virtual meeting platforms, ranging from Zoom and Skype to Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

Virtual meetings have solved many issues and made work more convenient in many aspects for office workers around the world. Yet, video conferencing cannot replace real face-to-face interaction altogether. That is, at least if companies want their employees to feel like they are part of a real working environment and belong to their work community.

The benefits of virtual meeting software

Coming up with some of the benefits of virtual meetings is hardly a challenge. Ever since most companies replaced some daily face-to-face interactions with ones facilitated by virtual meeting software, the pros of virtual meetings have become evident.

Cost savings. Companies have made substantial savings when many meetings that would otherwise take place in person can be arranged online. Less traveling via plane, car, and train is also better for the environment.
Accessibility. Virtual meetings enable all participants to join regardless of their physical location.
Time efficiency and productivity. Less time commuting and traveling allows workers to spend their time more efficiently and focus more on what matters.
Improved work-life balance. Not being tied to a specific location allows employees to work from home or travel more freely. Having more control over one’s schedule leads to improved workplace satisfaction and a better balance between work and free time. Online meetings have been a blessing especially for employees with small children or people with exceptionally long commutes.
Additional video meeting tools. All major virtual meeting platforms provide features such as meeting recording and screen sharing. These can enhance remote meetings and make them available even for those who cannot attend.

Framery soundproof office pods are the perfect companion for better virtual meetings. Because of their industry-leading sound insulation, adjustable lighting, and compact design, Framery office pods provide the optimal environment for virtual meetings, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations at the office. Combined with Logitech’s videoconferencing technology, the Framery pods offer exceptional virtual meeting capabilities for individual employees or small teams of up to six people.

Challenges of virtual meetings

A successful virtual meeting can save time and help make work more productive. However, there are some concerns if companies rely only on virtual meeting platforms to conduct their daily workplace interaction.

Missing non-verbal cues. Even with a camera turned on, a virtual meeting cannot reach the same level of intimacy as an actual face-to-face conversation. Non-verbal cues of meeting participants are crucial to avoid miscommunication and it is easy to miss nuanced body language or facial expressions when using virtual meeting software.
Technical difficulties. Talking over other people, team members speaking when their microphone is muted, laggy internet connections, choppy video and audio, or getting kicked out of a meeting. These challenges of virtual meetings are all too familiar for many. Attending a video call is far from productive when the virtual meeting software decides not to work.
Distractions. Attendees in a virtual meeting may never know what the others are doing on the other side of the screen. It can be difficult to stay focused or avoid the temptation of getting involved in something completely different during a virtual meeting you feel is unnecessary.
Too many technological tools. Relying on a new virtual meeting platform means that employees have to adopt yet another new tool or piece of software. Office workers already have to use dozens of different apps, programs, and extensions to do their work, and these are not always easily compatible. The cognitive load of jumping back and forth between different tools and software can be taxing.

The industry-leading soundproofing of Framery pods, such as the Framery Q, is great not only for virtual meetings and phone calls but also for private face-to-face conversations and intimate brainstorming sessions. Stepping inside a Framery pod blocks out external noise and distractions which makes it perfect for solitary work when you need peace and quiet for important tasks. Working inside a Framery pod has been shown to reduce stress and help recover during the workday.

Framery Contact – Video conferencing revolutionized

Framery Contact brings together the convenience of video meetings with the intimacy and true human connection of in-person meetings. Framery’s video conferencing technology allows virtual meetings that feel authentic, without missing small, yet important nuances, such as non-verbal cues of the other speaker. The state-of-the-art video and audio quality make it feel like you are in the same room with the other person, establishing a true personal connection.
Read more about Framery Contact and our new video meeting technology.

July 5, 2023