Half of all office workers feel out of place and pressurised to speak in
meetings, even if they have nothing to say, claims a report.
The survey by recruitment company Office Angels found that nine out of 10
office workers spend an average of 10 hours a week in meetings.
More than 90 per cent spent a tenth of the time they attend meetings feeling
useless, which Office Angels estimates costs British business £10bn a year.
Nearly three-quarters of the 1,500 people surveyed, said that they are
plagued by their own long silences in meetings, making them resort to comments
about the weather or current news to break the ice and validate their presence.
Seven out of 10 employees believe they must speak within the first 20
minutes of a meeting.
A fifth of respondents contributed during meetings to raise their profile
within the organisation, and 26 per cent spoke up to appear a confident team
player.
After speaking, 94 per cent of respondents said they did feel more
confident.
