We’ve all had to perform tasks at work that seem like they’re less than ideal. Paperwork, for one, or filling out time management software may feel like a drain on productivity. But when it comes to one thing that many workers can agree on, it’s this: There are too many meetings and those meetings take too much time. And it isn’t just frontline employees that feel like many meetings aren’t necessary; about one-fourth of senior executives feel that all meetings are unnecessary.
During those meetings, there’s daydreaming and dozing; there’s also the time spent preparing for the meetings. And all those meetings waste money—to the tune of $37 billion.
You don’t have to be complacent about meetings, though. Although you probably can’t get rid of them, you can figure out ways to make meetings work harder for you. Anyone that’s not needed shouldn’t be invited, and the meeting should have a clear and definable purpose. Mondays are the worst days to have meetings, and timeliness should be emphasized. What was decided at the meeting should also be shared with participants.
Want to learn more about how to hate meetings less and make them more efficient and useful? This infographic can help:
Really like and agree with How to Get More Done in Next Meeting items! Think timelines, agendas and follow-up are real solutions that create team buy-in.