Powwownow conference call provider uncovers dirty tricks

London, 25th September 2008 – According to new research out this week the British are a filthy lot, full of excuses when it comes to business meetings!

Over 2000 people took part in a poll undertaken by Powwownow, the home of free conference calling, and it seems our habits in meetings are very grubby indeed! People all over the country are farting, burping and thinking about sex when they should be conducting meetings, or paying attention.

Over a third of respondents admitted to ‘breaking wind silently’ - the worst offenders being men in the South East. One in 10 confessed to ‘bad body odour’ - the guiltiest being Northern men! As if stinking the place out wasn’t bad enough, 20% felt deep hatred for their colleagues and 35% of men had had sexual thoughts about one or more of their work mates. The biggest faux pas committed though was turning up to a meeting with a hangover, over 28% of us have done this.

The survey also highlighted some of the excuses that people use to get out of meetings. Hangovers, pets and traffic problems were all sighted, but by far the most popular excuse was ‘chucking a sickie’. Most sick notes were dished out to women in the South East.

When questioned about the real reasons they missed a meeting most people simply couldn’t be bothered - 40% gave this answer. Other excuses included hangovers, job interviews and ‘going shopping’. Lastly, a randy 5% minority admitted to not going to a meeting because they were ‘having sex’!

This insight into the nation’s behaviour in meetings coincides with the launch off Powwownow’s face to face campaign, which encourages us all to make conference calls instead of actually meeting people! For further details please visit www.powwownow.co.uk.