Most office workers have to attend regular meetings but many believe they are a waste of time and devise ways of relieving the boredom, new research has revealed.

A survey of 500 office staff showed that half asked for a toilet break to escape from a meeting while others constantly checked their mobile phones, played word games – or flirted.

The study by sandwich chain Subway showed that most of those questioned had to attend an average of eight meetings a week.

One in 10 said they had fallen asleep during a meeting, while a similar number played word games in their notebooks to keep awake.

Ruth Badger, star of BBC’s The Apprentice, said: “Meetings are important but they don’t have to be boring or a waste of time.

“The key advice for heads of meetings is keep everyone fed and watered, keep to a strict agenda, make sure everyone in the room has a part to play, and ensure that the meeting lasts no longer than is absolutely necessary."

Respondents said the worst places they had held meetings included inside a car, in the underwear department of a department store and in a windowless, airless room with a picture of a beach all along one wall.