About 38% of Teleworkers Experience 'Difficulty Conveying' or 'Misalignment' Remotely; Most Common Scenario is 'Online Meetings' at 47%

■ About 40% feel that things 'don't get across' or are 'misaligned' online

With the spread of telework, online meetings and chat tools have become indispensable for daily work. While they enable convenient work, it seems many people have felt that 'nuances don't convey well' or 'a gap in understanding occurred with the other person.'

As a work style mixing remote and in-person work becomes more established, what communication challenges exist in the workplace?

Therefore, this time, in collaboration with the digital whiteboard 'MiraiTouch Biz,' we conducted a survey on 'Communication in Telework and Hybrid Work' targeting 133 men and women nationwide who responded in a preliminary survey that they have experience with telework (home-based work, remote work).

*When citing the content of this press release, please take the following actions:

- State that the source is 'a survey by NEXER Co., Ltd. and the digital whiteboard 'MiraiTouch Biz''
- Place a link to the digital whiteboard 'MiraiTouch Biz' (https://biz.mirai-touch.com/)
- Place a link to the relevant article (https://biz.mirai-touch.com/column/survey-results-2/)

Survey Overview: 'Survey on Communication in Telework and Hybrid Work'

Survey method: Internet questionnaire

Survey period: May 8, 2026 – May 12, 2026

Survey target: Men and women nationwide who responded in a preliminary survey that they have experience with telework (home-based work, remote work)

Valid responses: 133 samples

Survey questions:

Question 1: Have you ever felt that communication was 'difficult to convey' or 'misaligned' in a remote environment?

Question 2: In what kind of situation was that? (Multiple answers allowed)

Question 3: Which do you feel offers higher communication quality: online meetings or in-person meetings?

Question 4: Please tell us the reason.

Question 5: Have you ever experienced a 'hybrid meeting' where remote and in-person participants are mixed?

Question 6: In a 'hybrid meeting' with mixed remote and in-person participants, what do you think is the biggest challenge?

Question 7: Do you think investment in digital tools in the workplace has become more important since the spread of telework?

Question 8: Please tell us the reason.

*Note: Figures are rounded to the second decimal place, so totals may not equal 100%.

■ 38.3% have experienced 'misalignment' in a remote environment

First, we asked whether they had ever felt that communication was 'difficult to convey' or 'misaligned' in a remote environment.

As a result, 38.3% answered 'Yes,' and 61.7% answered 'No.'

While a majority feel they are 'not particularly troubled,' it is clear that nearly 40% of people have experienced discomfort with remote communication.

A single misalignment can lead to rework or misunderstandings in business.

For remote workers, the 'accuracy' of communication seems to be a theme that cannot be ignored.

■ The most common situation where challenges were felt was 'online meetings' at 47.1%

Next, we asked those who had experienced 'difficulty conveying' or 'misalignment' in what situations they felt this way.

The most common answer was 'online meetings' at 47.1%.

This was followed by 'progress sharing' at 37.3%, 'work instructions' at 35.3%, 'chat exchanges' at 33.3%, and 'document sharing' at 25.5%.

'Casual conversation/consultation' and 'troubleshooting' were both at 9.8%, and 'other' was 3.9%.

In online meetings, it can be difficult to grasp the timing to speak or read the atmosphere. The fact that challenges are spread across multiple situations suggests various difficulties in remote communication.

■ 56.4% feel 'in-person meetings' offer higher quality

Next, all respondents were asked which they feel offers higher communication quality: online meetings or in-person meetings.

The most common answer was 'in-person meetings' at 56.4%.

This was followed by 'both are about the same' at 36.1%, and only 7.5% answered 'online meetings.'

We asked for the reasons behind each answer, and here are some examples.

Reasons for choosing 'in-person meetings':

- It helps me stay focused. (Male, 20s)
- It's easier to know when it's okay to speak. (Female, 20s)
- It's easier to sense facial expressions and the atmosphere. (Female, 40s)
- It's easier to exchange opinions when talking face-to-face. (Male, 40s)
- You can point to materials or use a whiteboard to align understanding. (Male, 50s)

Reasons for choosing 'online meetings':

- You can speak your true feelings. (Female, 40s)
- No need to reserve a meeting room. (Male, 50s)
- In-person meetings have too much small talk. (Male, 40s)

Reasons for choosing 'both are about the same':

- Because neither method poses a problem for communication. (Male, 30s)
- I think the difference comes from the awareness and understanding of the participants, not whether it's in-person or online. (Female, 50s)
- Both online and in-person have pros and cons; it's best to use them appropriately. (Female, 40s)
- As long as we can communicate, there's no problem. (Male, 40s)

Those who chose in-person meetings cited reasons such as being able to read facial expressions and atmosphere, easily grasping the timing to speak, and easily aligning understanding using materials or whiteboards.

On the other hand, those who chose online meetings valued the efficiency of not needing to reserve a room and the ability to speak more candidly than in person.

Furthermore, those who answered 'both are about the same' seem to believe that using the right format based on the participants' awareness and the meeting's purpose is more important than the format itself.

To improve communication quality, it seems important not to uniformly decide between online and in-person, but to choose the appropriate method based on the agenda and the participants' situation.

■ 42.9% have experienced 'hybrid meetings'

A symbolic aspect of work styles mixing online and in-person is the 'hybrid meeting,' where remote participants and in-room participants join the same meeting.

Next, all respondents were asked if they had ever experienced a hybrid meeting.

As a result, 42.9% answered 'Yes,' and 57.1% answered 'No.'

Furthermore, those who had experienced hybrid meetings were asked to choose the single biggest challenge they felt.

The most common answer was 'audio is hard to hear' at 21.1%.

This was followed by 'information disparity arises' at 19.3% and 'remote participants find it hard to speak up' at 17.5%.

All of the top three challenges relate to disadvantages for remote participants.