A new study from Lightyear reveals that tech troubles during meetings are quietly eating away at workplace productivity, and employees have had enough.
Surveying 1,000 workers across the U.S., the research found that 73% experienced audio or video issues in a meeting within just the last week. On average, employees lose three minutes per meeting to connectivity problems. With most workers attending eight meetings per week, that adds up to nearly 21 hours of lost time per year per person.
For a 500-person company, those interruptions translate to more than 10,000 hours of lost productivity every year, time that could otherwise be spent on focused work or collaboration.
It’s not just about lost time, either. Forty percent of employees said they feel “very” or “extremely” frustrated by ongoing tech issues, and 65% believe their company would see major value from investing in better connectivity tools and infrastructure.
These frustrations don’t just affect internal teams; they impact relationships outside the company as well. According to the survey, 85% of professionals are more likely to work with a client or vendor who runs smooth, disruption-free meetings.
The findings underscore how seemingly minor glitches like frozen screens, dropped calls, and lagging audio can create ripple effects across organizations. As remote and hybrid work continue to define modern workplaces, reliable connectivity is becoming as essential as the meeting itself.
Lightyear’s study makes it clear: in a world where every minute of collaboration counts, fixing meeting tech might be one of the simplest ways for businesses to reclaim productivity and strengthen professional relationships.
You can find the full study here: https://lightyear.ai/blogs/beyond-annoyance-40-of-employees-extremely-frustrated-by-weekly-connectivity