90% of Indian Employees Dread Meetings as Poor Collaboration Continues to Impact Productivity: Jabra Study

New research reveals that Indian workers spend nearly nine hours a week in meetings, yet ineffective collaboration, technology issues, and unclear outcomes continue to create hidden productivity costs for businesses

New Delhi, June 24, 2026 – As hybrid work continues to be a reality across Indian businesses, a new study from Jabra reveals that poor meeting experiences may be creating a significant but often overlooked productivity challenge.

The research found that 90% of Indian employees experience some level of meeting dread, while workers spend an average of 8.8 hours in meetings every week, among the highest across the markets surveyed. At the same time, ineffective meetings, technology disruptions, and unclear outcomes continue to impact employee experience, decision-making, and business productivity.

The study, which surveyed more than 2,300 knowledge workers globally, found that poor meeting experiences continue to impact productivity, decision-making, and collaboration outcomes.

Key findings

• Indian employees spend an average of 8.8 hours per week in meetings, among the highest globally
• 90% of Indian workers experience some level of meeting dread
• 58% of meeting time is perceived as unnecessary, representing a significant productivity drain
• 75% of hybrid meetings experience at least one technology issue, impacting collaboration and productivity
• 66% of employees leave meetings without clear action items, while 59% require follow-up meetings to clarify decisions
• Approximately 7 in 10 meetings experience situations where participants cannot be clearly seen or heard

Commenting on the findings, Peter Jayaseelan, Regional Vice President, APAC South, Jabra, said: “”India has become one of the world’s most collaboration-intensive business environments. Yet our research shows that many employees are spending a significant portion of their workweek in meetings that fail to deliver clear outcomes.

As organizations accelerate investments in digital transformation and AI, the quality of collaboration is becoming a business-critical issue. Poor audio, technology disruptions, and ineffective meeting experiences don’t just affect employees in the moment. They create downstream costs through lost productivity, additional work, and slower decision-making.”

The findings come at a time when organizations are increasingly looking to AI-powered tools to improve workplace productivity. However, the research suggests that AI alone cannot address the underlying challenges of poor meeting experiences.

While three-quarters of employees have experimented with AI meeting tools, fewer than one-third use them regularly. The study indicates that clear audio, reliable video, and inclusive collaboration remain essential for generating accurate outputs and meaningful outcomes.

As India’s enterprise ecosystem continues to expand, the findings point to a growing need for organizations to rethink how meetings are designed, managed, and supported. In an increasingly digital and AI-enabled workplace, collaboration quality is emerging as a key driver of productivity, employee experience, and business performance.

The full study is available for download at: jabra.com/thought-leadership/billion-dollar-brain-drain

About Jabra

Jabra is a world leading brand in audio, video, and collaboration solutions – engineered to empower businesses. Proudly part of the GN Group, we are committed to bringing people closer to one another and to what is important to them. GN’s R&D team utilizes innovative hardware, software, and AI-enabled technologies and expertise across hearing, enterprise, and gaming product groups. This engineering excellence allows Jabra to create integrated and customer-centric tools for call 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. Visit our homepage GN.com

© 2025 GN Group. All rights reserved. Jabra® is a registered trademark of GN Group. All other trademarks included herein are the property of their respective owners (design and specifications are subject to change without notice).