If you’re reading this while on a conference call, you’re not alone. It turns out many employees would rather do just about anything than listen intently to their co-workers from a remote location.

According to InterCall, the world’s largest conference call company, the percentage of people using mobile phones to dial into conference calls has been rising steadily over the past three years. While this may not be especially surprising, the things that people do while on conference calls are illuminating, as are the places where they take these calls.

InterCall surveyed 530 Americans, 64 per cent of whom said they prefer using a mobile phone over a regular one. And it’s no wonder why. According to the survey, here are some of the stranger places that respondents admitted to being while they were on a call:

1. "In the middle of the woods during a hiking trip"

2. "Outside while grilling and getting a tan"

3. "A truck stop bathroom"

4. "McDonald's Playplace"

5. "Behind a church during a wedding rehearsal"

6. "The racetrack"

7. "At a pool in Las Vegas"

8. "Fitting room while trying on clothes"

9. "The closet of a friend's house during a party"

10. "Chasing my dog down the street because she got out of the house"

Part of the reason all of this is possible, aside from mobile technology, is the magical mute function – InterCall found that 80 per cent of people surveyed are more likely to mute themselves when using a mobile device rather than landline.

In association with Harvard Business Review