Remote working has become the steadfast normal for many companies following the Covid-19 pandemic. Even with the changing landscape, it doesn’t look like hybrid working will be stopping anytime soon. With employees enjoying shorter commute times, lunch break exercising and cosy home offices – it is no wonder the rise of working from home has sky-rocketed.
However, some employees definitely prefer the reassuring and human connection the office environment brings. Whatever your preference, there are certain key differences when thinking about in-person team meetings vs virtual team meetings. This blog will take you through the pros and cons of both types, as well as the main differences you may come across.
Benefits & Disadvantages of In-Person Meetings
Pros of In-person meetings
- In-person meetings allow more fluid conversations and you are more likely to build positive relationships through them.
- Employees are able to collaboratively brainstorm easier in person rather than across virtual team meetings.
- In-person meetings can’t be disrupted by accidentally muted mics, bad internet connection or accidentally talking over one another.
Cons of In-person meetings
- In-person meetings can be time-consuming and require all participants to travel somewhere at the same time.
- In-person meetings allow for disruption as people can begin bantering, talking off-topic or having separate, smaller conversations.
- In-person meetings can be expensive, especially if they are at an external location.
Benefits & Disadvantages of Virtual Meetings
Pros of virtual meetings
- Virtual meetings require less time. This cuts out the need for employees to travel, any room booking, organising refreshments or organising participants’ schedules.
- Virtual meetings cut out the need for small talk, focusing mainly on the objective at hand. This removal of bantering, small conversations or idle chit-chat makes for higher efficiency within virtual meetings.
- Virtual meetings are much cheaper. Participants can get together from the comfort of their homes. This saves businesses money on secondary locations, saves employees money on commuting to the location and saves money on refreshments.
Cons of virtual meetings
- Virtual meetings, although efficient, lack human connection. It is hard to hear if more than one person is speaking at a time which makes creative collaboration difficult.
- Virtual meetings are reliant on a good internet connection, working technology and efficient speakers. If any of these fail – the meeting can be difficult, tedious and artificial.
- Virtual meetings don’t encourage employees or clients to get to know each other outside of a work environment. This can create an uncomfortable atmosphere that can make friendly interaction difficult.
4 Key differences between in-person and virtual meetings
1. Speed
The first key difference between in-person and virtual meetings is the issue of speed. In terms of virtual meetings, speed is great in terms of commuting. It is quick for meeting participants to log on remotely and join a virtual meeting. However, technology issues and WiFi speed can make virtual meetings longer and much more tedious than expected.
In terms of in-person meetings, speed is a key difference in terms of productivity and commute times. The commute to in-person meetings is much longer, especially if there are a lot of participants. This can be further delayed by those who arrive late, transport issues or traffic.
Also, unlike virtual meetings, in-person contact can easily cause participants to go off-topic. Conversations about weekend plans, bantering and idle gossip can make in-person meetings go on for much longer than virtual ones might.
2. Costs
Another key difference between in-person and virtual meetings is the costs of them both. Evidently, in-person meetings are more expensive than online ones. This is due to renting office or external spaces, money spent on commuting to the meeting spot and any refreshments offered to the participants.
Virtual meetings cost less due to the lack of commute. For businesses, downsizing office spaces to meet more hybrid schemes means meetings effectively cost less due to rent. However, ensuring each WFH employee has adept and working equipment can be expensive.
3. Human presence
Human presence is one of the most notable differences between in-person and virtual meetings, and arguably the one that causes the biggest conflict. In-person meetings give participants the ability to engage more fluidly with one another. An in-person meeting encourages more collaborative participation and teamwork thinking as people can read each other’s body language and are able to have quicker discussions.
This differs with virtual meetings as the collaboration is much more regimented – due to only one person being able to speak at a time. This could lead to a more artificial feel of human presence as you’re allocating people time to talk. Another difference is the use of cameras, as many companies offer the choice of optional camera usage.
4. Efficiency
Efficiency is another key difference between in-person and virtual meetings. Virtual meetings typically have a much more structured agenda, as there is less room for idle chit-chat and catching up. In this sense, virtual meetings are very efficient as they stick perfectly to the original layout of the meeting.
In comparison, in-person meetings can have a more relaxed feel – which can prolong meetings and lead to them being less efficient. In-person meetings invite casual chat and promote more relaxed, water cooler conversation.
Whether you’re team in-person or team virtual, it is safe to say both have a number of pros and cons. Check out our blog on internal communications to ensure whichever working style you prefer – you’re always providing the best communication for you and your team.
