Learn how reducing meetings can increase workplace efficiency and employee satisfaction
Endless meetings are dubbed a "productivity nightmare" by workers, echoing a sentiment that too many meetings could be more of a bane than a boon to workplace efficiency, reported by Financial Post.
A survey conducted by Atlassian Corp, involving 5,000 workers across the United States, Australia, India, Germany, and France, reveals a striking consensus: meetings are often considered the “biggest waste of time,” deemed pointless almost 75 percent of the time.
Contrary to the belief held by some company leaders that meetings facilitate collaboration, many employees beg to differ. Three-quarters of respondents believe that these gatherings do not enhance their connection with colleagues, nor do they inspire new ideas or decision-making.
Moreover, meetings frequently fail to provide the critical information necessary for employees to perform their roles effectively, with many attendees leaving without clarity on project statuses or whether goals are being met.
The survey highlights the exhaustive nature of constant meetings, with 76 percent of employees reporting feelings of exhaustion after a day filled with calls.
This also has repercussions for work-life balance, as more than half of the respondents indicate the need to work overtime multiple days a week to complete their tasks, attributing this to time lost in meetings. Atlassian poignantly notes, “Nobody is having fun here.”
Supporting these findings, Slack Technologies Inc. conducted separate research indicating that a maximum of two hours of meetings per day is the threshold for most workers; exceeding this leads to depleted energy and diminished productivity.
Those compensating for lost time by working extra hours report even greater declines in productivity, alongside increased stress and burnout.
This conversation around meeting culture and its impact on productivity coincides with broader concerns regarding Canada's productivity challenges.
Carolyn Rogers, senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, recently highlighted low productivity as an “emergency,” underscoring the importance of productivity for economic growth without the inflationary side effects.
She suggests that addressing Canada’s productivity issues involves increasing business investment and optimizing workplace efficiency.
The Conference Board of Canada supports this view, advocating for smarter, not harder, work approaches to improve productivity. This includes finding more efficient and effective ways to produce goods and services without necessarily increasing the workload.
One practical approach to enhancing workplace efficiency could be to reevaluate the necessity and execution of meetings.
Research from the United Kingdom and France found that banning meetings one day per week significantly improved employee well-being and productivity, suggesting a potential path forward for organizations looking to boost efficiency and employee satisfaction.
Shopify Inc. serves as a case study in proactively addressing the issue of meeting overload. The company cancelled all recurring meetings with more than two people and instituted no-meeting Wednesdays.
Further, it introduced a meeting cost calculator to quantify the financial impact of meetings, underscoring the principle that “time is money” and promoting more mindful scheduling of meetings.
While outright eliminating meetings is not advocated, there is a strong case for making them more purposeful and efficient. Suggestions include setting clear agendas, defining goals and discussion topics, and possibly shortening meetings to enhance focus and productivity.
Atlassian encapsulates this sentiment, stating that meetings should not inherently detract from teamwork but rather be structured in a way that genuinely contributes to it.
