Muted Potential: Poor audio and video holding UK workers back from career opportunities
A quarter (25%) of Brits in the workplace feel misunderstood when using communication tools in the workplace – and it’s costing them more than just time.
New research from Jabra, a global leader in professional audio and video solutions, reveals a hidden productivity killer in the modern workplace caused by a lack of effective communication. With 80% of meetings now including at least one virtual participant, clear conversations are more critical than ever, yet companies have struggled to keep pace, and employees are being let down by their tools.
Over a third (35%) of UK knowledge workers say poor audio or video quality is the biggest cause of misunderstanding while using communication tools and making working life harder. This is even more than the 33% who noted chaotic conversations with multiple people speaking at once a detrimental force.
Nigel Dunn, Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA North at Jabra, said,
“Too many UK workers are still being held back by poor-quality audio and video – spending valuable time clarifying conversations, second-guessing what was said, or worse, missing key details altogether,”.
“Misunderstandings caused by unclear speech, people talking over each other, or glitchy connections don’t just derail meetings, they chip away at confidence, strain working relationships, and can even lead to individual’s stalling in their careers. It’s what we call “muted potential” in action.”
The human cost of being misunderstood
Miscommunication in the workplace has a real human cost. 25% of workers feel like they are let down and misunderstood by their communication tools, 24% say they spend extra time clarifying their point and 18% admit to missing important details and deadlines. This can have a knock-on effect causing one in five (22%) of workers to feel embarrassed or lose confidence amongst their peers.
For individual workers, being misunderstood can negatively affect their perception at work, subsequently impacting career progression and professional relationships. 13% say poor communication is causing a strain on their professional relationships with colleagues, and 14% believe this is holding them back in their careers causing them to miss out on professional opportunities (14%).
Addressing the “trustworthy AI” elephant in the room
Despite AI tools becoming more prevalent in the workplace – providing the ability to delegate everyday tasks such as meeting transcription – there is an underlying wariness amongst UK workers. The overwhelming majority (93%) of British workers still trust people more than using AI tools. This level of scepticism is on par with German workers, with 93% trusting humans over AI, but higher than French (90%) and US workers (88%). Half (55%) of British workers trust human-sourced information more than AI generated content.
“Many people still place more trust in human communication than AI despite its potential to boost productivity,” said Dunn. “But to truly benefit, we need to start with the basics and enable employees to communicate clearly with total confidence that they can be heard accurately, whether speaking to a colleague, a virtual assistant or relying on transcription tools.”
Jabra is a world leading brand in audio, video and collaboration solutions – engineered to empower businesses. Proudly part of GN Group, we are committed to bringing people closer to one another and to what is important to them. Jabra engineering excellence leads the way, building on over 150 years of pioneering work within GN. This allows us to create integrated tools for contact centers, offices, and collaboration to help professionals work more productively from anywhere. www.jabra.com
Founded in 1869, GN Group employs more than 7,000 people and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (GN.CO). GN’s solutions are sold in 100 countries across the world
For additional information on Jabra view their Company Profile
Methodology
Jabra commissioned Censuswide to survey 2,000 UK based knowledge workers, from a global pool of 6,000 respondents including those based in the US, France and Germany. The survey took place between 16 to 20 December 2024 and the respondents were asked a series of questions around how technology influenced their perception and ability to complete tasks effectively at work. The survey also explored the how AI was used in the workplace, and key challenges in how it was adopted and trusted.
