{"id":2219,"date":"2023-04-17T14:30:45","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T21:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allmtntech.com\/?p=2219"},"modified":"2024-03-26T18:33:49","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T18:33:49","slug":"new-study-your-meetings-are-wasting-company-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/new-study-your-meetings-are-wasting-company-time\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study: Your Meetings Are Wasting Company Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do your meetings feel like a waste of time?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/article\/3690608\/unnecessary-meetings-draining-employee-productivity-report.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recent study by Asana<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they might be. The report, based on a survey of nearly 10,000 participants, found that:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work about work (i.e. meetings) takes up 58% of the workday<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skilled work takes up 33% of the work day<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strategic work takes up 9%<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This suggests a key problem in the modern business world\u2014managers are getting in the way of actual work being done. While an efficient and justified meeting can be an invaluable use of company time, it\u2019s easy to take it too far.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why you should be thinking about what your meetings are for in the first place\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2221\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allmtntech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-03-29-TPM_April-Blogs-inside-banner-1-_1080-x-1920px-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are Meetings How You Communicate?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s often the case that owners, managers and supervisors call meetings in order to communicate with everyone on the team in one place all at once. While this is the most direct way to go about it, it still may not be the best use of everyone\u2019s time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is why you should establish a policy for when and how communication should take place, and make sure that everyone follows it. This will help to ensure that everyone is kept up to date with what is happening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our advice is to develop a culture of communication that is both <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ubiquitous<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">brief<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This has the two-pronged benefit of ensuring regular communication is encouraged, without wasting anyone\u2019s time in the process of drafting long emails or sitting through long meetings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider the following benchmarks:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Direct messages should be as short as possible (one-word responses aren\u2019t rude\u2014they\u2019re efficient).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emails should be 2-3 sentences.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phone calls should be &lt;5 minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meetings should be as short as possible, so long as they cover the agenda and achieve their goal.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Are Your Meetings Supposed To Accomplish?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meetings are such an expected part of the modern business world that it can easily overlook their actual purpose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When things get out of control or interpersonal communication isn\u2019t where you think it should be, it can be easy to assume the only course of action is to hold a meeting. But is that really the case?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calling a meeting as a reflex action doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019ll be a worthwhile use of your and your team\u2019s time. Remember, a meeting commands a lot of your business\u2019 operating capital\u2014as much as every present staff member\u2019s hourly wage for as long as the meeting takes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why you have to be intentional and methodical with how you schedule and facilitate meetings. Doing so will ensure you\u2019re only scheduling meetings that need to take place, and when you do, they\u2019ll be effective and productive. That\u2019s exactly what the following five tips will help you achieve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Tips To Make Your Meetings Meaningful<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set A Cadence<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don&#8217;t have a regular meeting cadence, set one. For example, an active team should meet regularly\u2014we suggest once a week. This will allow you to group many of your conversations into one meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effective cadence will have the following five characteristics:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Same day (of every week or every other week)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Same time<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Same agenda<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start at the same time<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">End at the same time<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Politicking Or Tangents<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meetings need to stay on track. If someone starts a tangent or begins repeating themself (i.e. \u201cpoliticking\u201d), everyone should feel comfortable calling it out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This feedback doesn\u2019t have to be rude or hostile; ensure your team can rely on one another to uphold the agenda and ensure the meeting is as brief and productive as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be Accountable<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your meeting must be based on accountability. Yes, everyone should have to say &#8220;Done&#8221; or &#8220;Not Done.&#8221; Or &#8220;On Track&#8221; or &#8220;Off Track.&#8221; No room for excuses. Eventually, people will get the memo that things need to get done.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manage Time<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Late arrivals can cause meetings to get off on a rocky start. Get your people in the habit of showing up five minutes early and always end the meeting on time. Time flies when you\u2019re having fun, but it drags by when everyone is bored silly. So, put together an interesting agenda for each meeting, and then start and end on time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adjust meeting lengths so that you don\u2019t have 20 minutes where nothing happens. Try to be flexible with meeting lengths. You may have a week where there\u2019s lots to discuss and other times where there\u2019s almost nothing to talk about. Don\u2019t force people to sit for 30 minutes in a meeting when there\u2019s really nothing to say or do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget: getting out early always perks everyone up.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get Everyone Involved<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many meeting goers just sit quietly during the whole time and say almost nothing. How can you get everyone involved so that the meeting is a big success? Make sure that those present actually have a purpose there. If they don\u2019t, let them go and focus on their work.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t Let Meetings Get In The Way Of Productivity<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Putting together an effective meeting week in and week out can be challenging. The key is to not overthink or overdo it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When your meetings are justified, efficient and interesting, people will get involved and you\u2019ll notice that the meetings are making a positive impact on everyone. Try to remind your employees that weekly meetings are meant to help them grow as people and as employees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your company isn\u2019t benefiting from weekly meetings, then they\u2019re a waste of time and resources\u2014don\u2019t bother with them any longer.<\/p>\n<p>Secure your digital landscape with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.allmtntech.com\/everyones-adopting-this-new-secret-to-stronger-cybersecurity\/\">Edwards Cybersecurity<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 where protection meets innovation. Elevate your defense strategy today for a safer tomorrow. Explore our comprehensive solutions at Allmountain Technologies<br \/>\nand fortify your cybersecurity posture with confidence. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do your meetings feel like a waste of time? Based on a recent study by Asana, they might be. The report, based on a survey of nearly 10,000 participants, found that: Work about work (i.e. meetings) takes up 58% of the workday Skilled work takes up 33% of the work day Strategic work takes up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11669,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11670,"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219\/revisions\/11670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandline360.com\/allmountain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}