Working on something else during a conference call.
Not only is it accepted in today’s workplace but it is pretty much standard.
Some people don’t even give it a second thought. They log onto the call and immediately start working on something else.
Some even earmark certain meetings to get other work done.
Which in my opinion begs the question – if the call only requires a fraction of your attention then what is the point in attending it? Surely an email would suffice for that fraction of detail?
I reckon most people would benefit from not being on these calls but they won’t change.
Because not attending means owning up to your lack of attention and it creates an expectation for you to be more productive with your time. It’s easier to simply keep attending the calls and not say anything.
Thomas Duggan 