As per a recent survey by Doodle, 60% of all meetings are recurring. Recurring meetings, as the name suggests, happen regularly at a fixed time and day, such as weekly team meetings, monthly project reviews, or quarterly business reviews. While these meetings can help establish a regular cadence of communication and collaboration, they can also take away from high priorities and result in lost focus, lost value, and increased time and salary costs to the business.
One of the biggest problems with recurring meetings is that they can become routine and lose their sense of urgency and purpose. Participants may stop paying attention, become disengaged, or feel they are simply going through the motions. This can result in a lack of progress, missed opportunities, and wasted time and resources.
Furthermore, when misused, recurring meetings can increase the business’s time and salary costs. According to a study by Atlassian, the average employee attends about 62 meetings per month, which adds up to approximately 31 hours of meetings per month or almost one hour per day. This means that employees spend significant time in meetings, which could be better spent on high-priority tasks that drive the business forward. My own experience would put this number much higher with a short survey I carried out coming back with participants spending an average of 40% of their working day in Recurring meetings. Some even reported attending more than 8 hours of meetings per day.
Another study by Harvard Business Review found that poorly run meetings cost US businesses an estimated $399 billion per year. This includes the cost of salaries for meeting attendees and the opportunity cost of time spent in unproductive meetings that could have been spent on other high-priority tasks.
So how can businesses ensure that their recurring meetings add value and not take away from high priorities? Here are some tips:
- Re-evaluate the frequency and duration of recurring meetings: Are they necessary, and if so, do they need to happen as often or for as long as they currently do?
- Establish clear objectives and agendas: Make sure everyone knows what the meeting is for, what topics will be covered, and what outcomes are expected.
- Encourage participation and engagement: Make sure that everyone actively participates and contributes to the discussion and that there is a culture of open and honest communication.
- Spend time ensuring that those invited add value and receive value from the meeting. A meeting should be of benefit to all participants. Do not host selfish meetings. If you need something reach out directly to the accountable person.
- Follow up and track progress: Ensure action items and next steps are documented, regularly reviewed, and tracked. The tracking does not need to be in further meetings but can but in messages or emails.
- If there are no action items or final decisions, it’s likely the meeting was little of no value.
- The same information should not be presented more than once within a virtual. Flatten the meeting attendance, bring leaders closer to those with the information.
By taking these steps, businesses can ensure that their recurring meetings add value and stay within high priorities. In conclusion, while recurring meetings can be a valuable tool for communication and collaboration, it is vital to use them correctly and ensure that they are not taken away from high-priority tasks and goals.