Nearly half of workers (47%) imagine their boss naked to get through boring meetings, according to research into what staff think about when they should be paying attention. The survey of 4,000 adults identified the top 10 preoccupations that workers are most likely to have during business meetings. Sex came on top with 57% of respondents saying this was their favourite subject for daydreaming, the poll for Sky TV revealed. There were notable variations between men and women. While a similar percentage admitted to thinking about sex, more than half of men admitted they have imagined having sex with a co-worker (58%), compared with just 21% of women. A quarter (26%) of women admitted to staring at colleagues with a discerning eye for fashion, paying more attention to what colleagues were wearing than their sexual attractiveness. Women were most likely to be planning their next holiday (33%) or their evening meal (29%) whereas men were more likely to be planning their TV viewing (27%) or thinking about household bills that need to be paid (16%). The survey also noted the concentration levels of different professions. Lawyers rated themselves as the most professional with 100% of respondents reporting that their concentration in meetings was high or very high. Those working in sales rated their concentration as the lowest with 22% admitting that they pay little attention during meetings and always drift off. Teachers and those working in the media were the most likely to be thinking about sex, with 27% reliving their most recent night of passion and a further 10% planning a future sexual encounter. Members of the Police or Fire Services were the most likely to be dreaming about sex with the boss or a colleague (51%), followed by accountants (34%) and engineers (21%). Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday Regional differences were also apparent. London workers were most likely to be dreaming about having sex with the boss or a colleague (13%), while those in Scotland were most likely to be planning their next holiday (33%) or preoccupied with office politics or gossip (31%). Nearly half of Welsh workers (47%) daydream about being at home watching TV. Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University said the research showed that long, boring meetings are neither productive nor inspiring.
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“The best way to keep all minds focused is to keep meetings short and to the point, with plenty of interaction between participants,” he said.
