Workers wasting 3 hours a week on unnecessary meetings

New research has revealed that Australian employees are wasting time in unneeded meetings.

With the end of the financial year on the horizon, new research from COS has shown that two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents have claimed that they regularly spent time in unnecessary meetings.

According to the survey, the average number of hours workers reported spending in unneeded and unnecessary meetings was close to three hours a week – equating to 144 hours a year and almost four total working weeks.

In terms of who is attending these meetings, organisational leaders, employers, and business owners were substantially less likely to spend time in unnecessary meetings than their employees (42 per cent compared to 66 per cent).

“This study highlights how a significant number of hours are being spent on team members attending meetings that could instead be allocated to more productive tasks. This not only costs the company money but can also lead to frustration,” said Belinda Lyone, co-chief executive of COS.

“As a company that employs over 600 team members across Australia, we started trialling ways to curb unnecessary meetings. After constantly evolving the process based on feedback from our staff, we have found a structure that works well. We do acknowledge, though, that what works for one company may not work for another, so it’s important to learn and customise.”

According to COS, organisations can adopt simple strategies that will mitigate the wasted time that employees are experiencing.

“Have senior management set clear parameters and commit to enforcing them: We have created a meeting charter which includes no meetings before 9:30am, no meetings between 12:30pm and 1:30pm to allow ample time for lunch, and no meetings after 4pm, so the team knows they have blocks of time during their work hours to focus on their tasks,” COS said.

“COS also has a ‘no-meetings Thursday’ policy, and there are no cross-functional meetings during school holidays to respect the pressures of working parents and avoid adding to the ‘parent guilt’ by scheduling major meetings during this challenging period.

“Consider the length of the ‘standard’ meeting time: Most companies seem to allocate an hour for standard meetings; however, at COS, this has been changed to 45 minutes to allow for breaks between meetings.

“Set a meeting purpose for each meeting: What works best for [us] is that the person who creates the meeting must in advance issue the background, purpose, and required outcomes for the meeting.

“This ensures everyone knows why they are invited and what a successful meeting looks like. Naming a chairperson is also an effective way to keep participants focused on the purpose and ensure everyone has the chance to speak and that the meeting ends on time.

“Give permission to opt out: Similarly to the research, our team found that often, team members weren’t sure if they were permitted to decline a meeting. Emphasising that team members can opt out or send a substitute who can make decisions on their behalf also empowers staff to make smart decisions about their time.”

Lyone said: “This is an ideal time for business leaders and senior management teams to consider implementing new processes to help their employees feel more supported and productive. Doing so will improve team morale and retention rates, whilst also benefiting the business from a bottom-line perspective.”