The general manager of Cadbury House has said businesses should encourage more in-person meetings to boost productivity and wellbeing.

Gareth Ireland, boss at the Congresbury hotel, believes workers have become too accustomed to working from home, and relying on video links has negatively impacted business and personal performance.

He said: "The pandemic got people comfortable using video streaming, which was great, but I believe there is still some over-reliance on this form of interaction."

Mr Ireland noted there's been a "slow shift" back to in-person meetings over the last 12 months, but "there's still a long way to go."

He added: "There are plenty of reasons why personal interaction is good.

"It can help build stronger relationships with colleagues and clients and let people feel more connected with their colleagues and the business they work for.

"It also allows for a deeper level of understanding of the goals and objectives of a business and gives employees a proper sense of belonging."

While he acknowledged remote working is "a key part" of the modern workplace, he said: "There just needs to be a healthy balance with working from home, time in the office, and time together offsite for developing working relationships."