Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the 15th BRICS Summit via a video feed from Russia, due to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing a warrant for his arrest due to war crimes.
As a result, Putin was not allowed to step foot in South Africa, with government assuring opposition parties who called for the Russian Head of State’s arrest at the BRICS Summit which was held in South Africa this week.
Putin’s remote attendance at BRICS, led Thomas and Skhumba to talk about online meetings, who they would want to have an online meeting with as opposed to meeting in person, and what some of the advantages of meeting virtually were.
COVID had us like
The perks of working remotely during the pandemic included online meetings which you could attend from the comfort of your bed.
Starting the workday in PJ’s, with the option to mute yourself in meetings while shouting at the kids to behave was a gamechanger for the regular business day.
With most companies returning to business as usual and meetings resuming in boardrooms once again, it takes some getting used to.
Meetings held in person requires a dedicated level of concentration and focus, something you could get away with in the virtual conference room.
Thomas and Skhumba wanted to know if you pay attention during meetings and/or how you handle people who are distracted in meetings/conversations. Which got us thinking about the perks of online meetings.
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Drive:
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Wed 16:14:36 to 16:58:36 4KayaFM
Here are 5 advantages of online meetings:
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Business on top, comfort at the bottom
Let’s be honest, not being required to dress for the office had to have been one of the biggest perks of remote working during COVID-19. If we were required to switch our cameras on then it was just a matter of looking presentable from head to shoulders. It was the stuff dreams were made of.
2. Mute yourself
If only we could mute ourselves throughout a regular office day. The mute functionality in online meetings are not only convenient but it helps meetings run smoother with fewer interruptions than in face-to-face meetings.
3. Online meetings are punctual
Online meetings are more likely to start and end on time than meetings you have to physically attend. Because you can log in from anywhere in the world, daily interferences such as traffic or excuses like “I’m running late,” did not apply.
4. Multitasking made easy
The pandemic pushed people out of their comfort zones. For parents who were working from home while homeschooling their kids, online meetings were a saving grace. It meant multitasking and taking a meeting while parenting or cooking.
5. Scrolling through your phone during a meeting went unnoticed
Something you can’t do in regular meetings because it comes across as rude and that you’re not paying attention. Online meetings gave us many perks which included browsing social media while a presentation was taking place or eating throughout the meeting without anyone hearing you chew.
Also read: An update on the 4-day work week
