Employees feel that more than a quarter of their time spent in work meetings is completely unproductive, according to a Robert Half survey.
On average, respondents found that 28% of all time spent in meetings was totally useless. This translates to about 17 minutes of wasted time in every hour of meeting time.
The number one reason cited was not sticking to an agenda, with 55% saying this was the biggest time-waster. The survey also found that 44% of respondents believe that not having a clear purpose led to a misuse of time.
“With busy schedules and external demands, leaders need to show that they value their team’s time,” said Robert Half Management Resources Canadian president David King. “Regularly holding repetitive, unnecessary or disorganized meetings can do more harm than the good of a well-run and timely team discussion.
“Clearly establishing the purpose of the discussion, staying on track with the agenda, and starting and ending on time, are examples of ways managers can avoid meetings being seen as a waste of time.”
Some of the steps managers can take to lead to more productive meetings, said the report, include limiting participants to those who have direct involvement in the meeting topic, sticking to an agenda and keeping the meeting short.
