No-one wants to hear the dreaded phrase: “That meeting could have been an email.” Clare Willenberg, employee experience expert, shares her tips to a happier workplace.
Costing Australian companies approximately $34 billion annually in lost productivity, according to an Atlassian survey.
Time is the most precious resource for executives, and having strong support in how that time is allocated and protected is critical to their effectiveness and the company’s success. It also means that EAs and PAs are uniquely positioned to transform their company’s meeting culture.
So, where to begin?
The start of the new financial year is an ideal time to reset your company’s meeting practices. This can be achieved by conducting a strategic review of the executive team’s standing meetings with the goal of removing those that are redundant and optimising the ones that are genuinely valuable.
Here are the key areas to assess with each meeting organiser:
- Content
Is there a clear purpose and agenda for these meetings? In general, most meetings fall into three categories:
- Decision-making
- Discussion
- Information sharing
Are the same topics being rehashed in multiple meetings? Streamline the agendas to create more value.
- Frequency & duration
Small changes make a big difference:
- Reduce the default meeting lengths (e.g., from 60 to 50 minutes). This can be done easily in Outlook’s calendar settings.
- Can recurring meetings occur less frequently? Moving from weekly to fortnightly catch ups can often make the time more productive
- Location
In hybrid work environments, be intentional about meeting formats:
- Collaborative sessions tend to work best in-person
- Clearly define which meetings are virtual or face-to-face
- Participants
Less is more when it comes to meeting attendees. McKinsey recommends five to seven participants to keep discussions focused. Consider:
- Limiting attendees to essential participants only
- Clarifying roles (Chair, Facilitator, Decision Maker, etc.)
- Rotating participants to bring fresh perspectives
- Preparation
Enable effective participation by:
- Distributing primer documents in advance
- Ensuring materials are reviewed before the meeting
- Using meeting time for discussion, not information downloading
- Follow up
Close the loop by:
- Circulating key decisions
- Defining clear next steps
- Cascading information to relevant team members
Pro tip: Once the recurring meetings have been streamlined, schedule an “overflow” meeting time. This prevents discussions from running overtime and provides a designated space for additional conversations.
The Payoff
By implementing these strategies, you’ll create meetings that are more focussed, more productive and respectful of everyone’s time. These changes will be felt and appreciated throughout the organisation.
Clare Willenberg is an employee experience expert and the Founder of The Happy Hive Co, which helps business leaders create happy workplaces for their employees to thrive and drive business results. http://www.thehappyhiveco.com.au
