Companies across the world are embracing change and updating their policies to allow employees to choose their work environments — whether they want to be totally remote, come to the office every day, or something in between. Hybrid and flexible work empower employees to do what’s best for themselves to balance their working style, family obligations, job tasks, and social needs. Autonomous scheduling instills a great amount of trust in employees, boosting their job satisfaction and work-life balance.

And people really like hybrid meetings — 64% of professionals report that hybrid video calls are their preferred meeting style — but like all major workplace transformations, there’s still room for improvement. Hybrid meetings hinge on technology, and without the right collaboration solutions, teams are left feeling disjointed and left out. Connecting with teammates can be significantly harder on-screen than in real life, and there’s a lot of interactions that don't translate very well online with a less-than-ideal hybrid tech stack.

We’ll go into some of the difficulties remote and onsite employees face during hybrid meetings, determined by our State of Hybrid Work survey. We’ll also dive into two different hybrid work tech setups and see how they improve overall collaboration for teams that use them.

Hybrid meeting pain points for remote and in-person employees

According to data from the 2022 State of Hybrid Work, the top three meeting issues for remote employees are not knowing when to interrupt the speaker, audio echo and distortion, and not being able to hear everyone. 

On the other side of the conversation, the State of Remote Work revealed that onsite employees face challenges with hybrid work and collaboration, too. One third of employees who work from the office find it harder to build relationships with remote employees, due to a lack of small talk, having a harder time engaging online, and facing overall barriers to bonding without in-person interactions.

Let’s explore some of the pain points of hybrid meetings and a few ways that employees can be unknowingly excluded in a hybrid work environment.

1. Audio issues

Remote employees often can’t hear what’s going on in the meeting room onsite because not everyone is sitting close enough to the laptop or screen’s microphone, or, a teammate simply has a quiet speaking voice. They can also experience audio echo and distortion because of spotty internet connections which can make it hard to follow the thread of a conversation, leading to remote employees not sharing ideas or opinions. Audio cuts out completely occasionally, so remote employees must leave the meeting and come back, disrupting their understanding, interrupting the flow of the meeting, and inhibiting their contributions.

Onsite employees also experience interruptions when their audio feeds cut out, whether they can’t hear the teammates who are remote or they’re not sure if they’re being heard by those calling in. If you’re using a laptop, the built-in speakers may only reach the person sitting directly in front of it, and with any external or background noise — you might as well reschedule until you have the proper equipment.

2. Video issues 

Remote employees frequently miss visual cues from facial expressions that happen in-office, especially when someone in the office is screen sharing so you can’t see their face at all. Glitching video is also very distracting, and if it cuts out completely, remote teammates often turn off their video, or leave and rejoin the meeting. Remote teammates also don’t always realize that their video (or audio) is frozen, so there’s awkwardness, gaps, and disjointedness in the conversation until the feed improves. 

When teams are brainstorming in person, especially if they're using a whiteboard in the office, it’s also easy to feel very left out, as the whiteboard isn’t always readable online and it’s even harder for them to contribute.

And when video cuts out due to internet interruptions or slowness, it’s distracting for everyone on the call, and it’s disconcerting to not know if you’re coming through clearly for remote participants. If video meeting technology isn’t readily available, in-person team members might opt for an audio-only call. And if tech isn’t easy to use or IT isn’t available, they’re stuck with what they know how to (and can) operate.

3. Communication + collaboration issues

Remote employees can feel excluded from the conversation, especially if there’s more people in the office than there are joining remotely. It can feel hard to feel part of the dialogue, and like they can end up feeling like their ideas don’t matter as much. Remote employees also often struggle to determine when it’s okay to interject or add a thought, so their contributions are often missed altogether. This leads to a lack of visibility — and on teams that don’t actively try to pre-empt this, remote employees can end up with more stagnated careers and fewer opportunities. 

Onsite teammates know that it’s best practice to wait until the remote teammates are looped in to start the meeting, but it’s human to want to speak to the people you’re with in the office while you set up the meeting. This can lead to feelings of guilt, like they’re excluding those on the remote side. It also leads to having to repeat what was said earlier for remote employees, which can be frustrating and waste time.

Check in on hybrid team members to find out if they feel supported during meetings

Any employee, whether remote on onsite, can feel a lack of confidence when contributing because they don’t have access to body language to give them cues and tacit feedback. And when someone feels unsure if they’ve been heard by everyone on the call, it can be discouraging and lead to them retreating and not contributing as much as they'd like to.

Hybrid tech solutions that improve meetings and collaboration

All of the issues and concerns mentioned above can be largely solved by investing in great hybrid meeting technology specifically designed to include everyone on a call, every time. This starts with ease of use and how adaptable your solutions are, all the way to having the best tech specs and high-quality connection possible. 

At a base level, make sure your employees who are both working from the office or elsewhere have access to high-speed Wifi, noise-canceling headphones, a light source, a desk, and a quiet area to attend calls. Many companies do this by providing a home office setup stipend.

We’ll compare the typical, less than ideal hybrid meeting setup and then share what great hybrid communication can look like with Owl Labs’ suite of hybrid collaboration solutions.

Investing in hybrid meeting technology is investing in the future

Your team deserves to know they’re being seen and heard in every meeting. With the best-in-class center-of-table Meeting Owl technology and hybrid meeting accessories, every meeting is an opportunity for equitable collaboration and connection between teammates. 

Outline clear hybrid meeting best practices, like using a detailed meeting agenda and following meetings up on Slack, and encourage a culture of relationship-building that’s independent of physical location.

Hybrid isn’t going anywhere, so learn about the solutions that can help your teams connect no matter where they are in the world. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are answers to common questions about managing and improving hybrid meetings.

• Q: What are the most common challenges in hybrid meetings?
  The most frequent issues include audio quality (echo, distortion, and volume problems), video issues (missing visual cues, frozen feeds, or unreadable whiteboards), and communication/collaboration gaps (remote employees not knowing when to speak or feeling excluded from informal in-office chatter).
• Q: How can I ensure all participants are engaged, both in-person and remote?
  Engagement is boosted by equitable technology that provides a clear view and sound for everyone (like a 360-degree camera/speaker system). Additionally, implement best practices, such as creating a detailed agenda, actively soliciting input from remote participants, and consciously waiting for all participants to join before starting the discussion.
• Q: What equipment is necessary for a successful hybrid meeting?
  Essential equipment for the office includes a high-quality, central camera and speaker system (like the Meeting Owl) with a wide audio range and noise cancellation. For both remote and in-office employees, access to high-speed Wi-Fi, noise-canceling headphones, and a quiet area for calls is critical.
• Q: How do I handle technical difficulties during hybrid meetings?
  Minimize technical difficulties by investing in plug-and-play, easy-to-use technology that reduces setup time and reliance on IT support. For inevitable issues, establish a quick protocol, such as a dedicated communication channel (like a Slack thread) for reporting problems, and have a designated in-room moderator who can troubleshoot quickly.
• Q: What is the ideal room setup for hybrid meetings?
  The ideal setup features a central, 360-degree camera and microphone placed at the center of the table to capture everyone equally. The room should have a large monitor showing all remote participants prominently. For collaborative sessions, ensure any whiteboards are clearly viewable or digitally shared (e.g., using a Whiteboard Owl) so remote participants can contribute and read the content.