More and more business meetings are taking place online. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend?

Nowadays, official

meetings

are frequently conducted virtually.

While

online

meetings

offer obvious benefits,

such

as flexible schedules, and ease of holding urgent

meetings

, they are susceptible to challenges like lack of attention in non-office environments, or disruptions

due to

bad internet connectivity. Online

meetings

allow greater adjustments in the timetable.

This

is primarily because virtual

meetings

remove the necessity of conducting them in the conference rooms, making it possible to plan the meeting schedules at suitable times.

Moreover

,

due to

the same reason, issues requiring immediate attention can be discussed online even at peculiar times of the day or night, helping the officials to come to a decision.

Therefore

, virtual communication can overcome the time constraints of office

meetings

, resulting in greater control. Notwithstanding the advantages, online

meetings

can be heavily affected by internet issues and not work-related interruptions. Fluctuations in internet bandwidth or occasional breakages can lead to meeting delays, or even worse, miscommunications. On top of that, since the attendees normally join the

meetings

from home, there are possibilities of their focus being diverted from the

meetings

to something else.

For instance

, the senior executives at Grameenphone recently addressed that the attendees are routinely engaging in other activities during the

meetings

held online, which have become a major cause of the extension of the meeting duration. In conclusion, there has been an increasing trend of businesses shifting their

meetings

online. Despite the apparent advantages, which are, arranging

meetings

at suitable times or following short notice, the downsides of online

meetings

, especially problems arising from network disconnections or outside interruptions, are hampering productivity substantially.