Do meetings keep you from getting your work done?
When Atlassian surveyed 5,000 knowledge workers, 78% of employees said they’re expected to attend so many meetings that it’s hard to finish their work. Not only that, but they also found that meetings are ineffective 72% of the time!
Excess meetings drain time and hamper productivity and morale. When meetings feel like a waste of time—a sentiment that affects every level of an organization—this causes employee disengagement.
So, how can you turn your meetings into powerful tools for engagement? Let’s look at the research.
The Solution to Ineffective Meetings
1. Choose the right time of day.
Consider the needs of your workforce, the structure of your workday, and what you want to accomplish or discuss. What time makes the most sense for your meeting? While you need to consider logistics, it’s also important to think about scheduling from a productivity standpoint.
For example, based on the findings of a 2020 study of meeting behavior involving 715 U.S. Microsoft remote employees, researchers say that for remote teams, it’s best to avoid important meetings early in the day since “email multitasking behavior occurs most often in the morning.” Conversely, light-weight or quick to-do list meetings in the morning may help remote employees smoothly transition from “home” to “work” mode under remote work settings.
2. Establish meeting goals and create agendas.
Atlassian research found that “62% of workers often attend meetings that didn’t even state a goal in the invite.” By defining your goals and telling attendees what you hope to accomplish in the meeting, you can ensure your meetings have a clear purpose. You don’t need a meeting if you can’t identify a goal. That same study found that an agenda leads to more productive meetings, according to 79% of respondents. Take a few minutes to outline what you want to cover.
3. Schedule shorter meetings.
The Microsoft study found that longer meetings are associated with more multitasking behavior. Similarly, the Atlassian research found that 80% of workers think most of their meetings can be done in half the time. If you schedule 30-minute meetings, trial-run 15-minute check-ins. If your organization plans 90-minute all-hands each month, consider 45-minute all-hands bi-weekly.
4. Encourage active participation.
Attendees disengage from meetings when they think they have nothing to contribute—and when the speaker does not ask them to contribute. If you want to engage employees, facilitate the meeting in a way that encourages interactions. For example, if you want to hear diverse perspectives, tell your employees that you value hearing their feedback.
If you’re in a virtual meeting, invite participants to share their thoughts in chat, live polls, via a cloud-based whiteboard software, or by unmuting themselves. If you’re in an office, ask employees for feedback via a live survey, coordinate a Q&A session (you can answer pre-submitted questions), or divide attendees into smaller breakout groups to discuss specific topics.
Making Meetings Engaging
The key to combating meeting overload is transforming how you conduct meetings. With thoughtful scheduling, meeting goals and agendas, shorter meetings, and a structure that encourages active participation, you can improve the effectiveness of your meetings while increasing employee satisfaction. By fostering a culture of purposeful and efficient meetings, you can unlock the full potential of your workforce, driving success and innovation.
