Too many longwork meetings can lead to reduced productivity and morale.(Unsplash: Jason Goodman)
Too many work meetings can leave people feeling drained, overwhelmedand like they're constantly playing catch-up.
And since the rise of remote and flexible work, there's been a steady increase in both the number and durationof meetings.
According to the Union of International Organizations (UIA), which surveyed workplaces in 262 countries, the number of meetings held rose by approximately 11 per cent from 2022 to 2023.Figuresfrom the US showworkers spend an average of 18 hours per week in meetings.
Organisational facilitator, trainer and scholar Ken Hudson says there's a negative impact on productivity for those who feel like they have too many meetings.
It's actually in everyone's interest to have the minimum number of people at a meetingthat can all contribute and be 100 per cent clear as to why they are there, Dr Hudson says.
So, is there a way to reduce our meetings and to feel energised,rather than drained, by them?
'Stuck in meetings'
Dr Hudson works with companies in Australia to improve the way their meetings are run.
Often that involves shortening them.
Reducing a meeting from one hour to 45 minutes, for example, is a small change that can free up time for those attending to check emails or take a break before another meeting.
He also encourages workplaces to be more selective about who needs to attend, as being called into unnecessary meetings is likely to lead to reduced morale.
It can even impact a worker's health and mental wellbeing, particularly if they're attending meetings they feel are unproductive or not well run, [or at which] they couldn't make a contribution or they weren't heard, Dr Hudson says.
Reducing the length of a meeting can help people feel refreshed ahead of their next one.(Unsplash: Chris Montgomery)
But it can be difficult to decline a meeting invitation.
There's a risk of seeming uninterested in the topic being discussed, Dr Hudson says.
But he says pushing back slightly on having to attend unproductive meetings is entirely reasonable.
It's reasonable for someone to say … 'You've invited me to this meeting, thank you. But is it absolutely essential that I have to be there? I am just not sure I can contribute to the goals of the meeting.'
He believes good leaders are likely to respond positively. A modern manager should be able toconcede that, actually, now you bring it up, that's fair enough, he says.
Dr Hudson believes there's also a historical hang-up at play with meeting attendance. He says in the past people have felt like they had to be seen attending meetings and working long hours out of fear of being judged on their activity rather than their outcomes.
Whereas I think … that's actually an outdated idea, he says.
Dr Hudson recommends employees don't waste time in unnecessary meetings just to be seen as a team player.
Be there because you can make a contribution, rather than being seen to be at the meeting.
He says changing a culture of too many meetings ultimately rests with organisation leaders — and he encourages them to be more respectful of employees' time.
And just because things have beenrun ina certain way in the past, it doesn't mean they need to continue that way, he says. It's an attitude morecompanies are beginning to adopt.
The default behaviour was,'Let's call a meeting'. Whereasit's changing now to … 'Let's call a meeting as alast resort'.
Maybe I can send an email or text to find out information rather than having a full-blown meeting involving a lot of people.
Circles and huddles
When meetings are required, there are ways to help those attending to come away feeling energised.
One way to do that is by ensuring attendees feel safe and heard during the meeting, says Christina Baldwin, co-author of The Circle Way, a book about improving how staff work together, and a trained facilitator in circle meetings— meetings held ina circle formation.
Baldwin says communicating in a circle changes a meeting significantly, somethingshe first observed around 30 years ago at an environmental activism retreat.
We began noticing that there was an energy that evolved in those groups, she tellsABC RN's This Working Life.
She witnessed people come alive in circle meeting spaces. It'sa formation that she says changes the attitude that comes into the chairs.
Baldwinnow advocates that, for organisations where physical meetings are run, people sit in a circle, which makesit easier for everyone to share their voice.
At the beginning of the meeting, I love to have people recite, 'Here's why I'm here, here's what I need, here's what I have to contribute,' she says.
Everybody checks in with that, and at the end of the meeting, thecheck-out is, 'Here's whether I got what I needed. Here's what I volunteered to do. Here was my surprise'. Then you're done.
Checking in with everyone individually allows people to safely bring their whole selves to a meeting, she says.
There are people who are having a really hard day. But they're free to say it. They're free to say, you know, I'm at 70 per centtoday, and I'm here. But this is about how much you can count on me.
Dr Hudson hasnoticed more companies using a similar type of strategy, whichthey might refer to as huddles, sprints or stand-up meetings, rather than circle meetings.
I think there's a greater sense of, let's get together … but let's make it short and quick and sharp, he says.
I think also, just in a general sense, meetings have become less formal. And that's a step forward in terms of productivity.
Dr Hudson's final tip for a really good meeting is to make sure it's centred on a strong sense of purpose.
The meetings today and, in the future, are increasingly shorter [and] sharper, and the purpose is crystal clear, he says.
And only the people that can actually make a contribution should be there.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-14/how-to-cut-back-on-the-number-of-meetings-at-work/103056410
