And so the great meeting purge begins

Shopify, the e-commerce platform, made the headlines this week with its announcement that it would scrap all meetings involving more than two people.  

COO Kaz Nejatian is clearly frustrated by the amount of time being wasted in pointless meetings and he is not alone. Whilst rather extreme, his move is part of a wider trend we are seeing as organisations begin to tackle excessive meetings.

The pandemic didn’t help. According to Microsoft, the average Teams user saw the number of meetings per week rise 153 per cent after lockdowns were imposed. 

Driven by quickly-introduced conferencing tools and a desire by managers to maintain some sort of connection with far flung employees, they multiplied rapidly - to the point where, for many, more time was spent in meetings than actually doing work.

As time has passed and freedoms have returned, many of those additional -often virtual - ‘touch base’ meetings have remained in place, firmly lodged in already-crowded diaries.  And many of them are, without doubt, of little value to either their participants or the wider organisation. 

An occasional meeting cull is undoubtedly a healthy thing and taking stock at the start of a new year seems sensible, but I would urge a more considered approach, rather than a Shopify-style blanket ban.  

We know from decades of research that face-to-face communication is the most effective approach to sharing important information, storytelling, engaging employees around key themes and creating an emotional connection between employer and employee.  

Cultures are formed through social interaction and this happens when people spend time together. Some of this can be done virtually, of course, but it’s a whole lot more effective in person (and note we are already seeing a rise in loneliness as a result of work from home).  

Live meetings are instant and two way - providing an opportunity for employees to respond, participate and ask questions.  

Good meetings can be educational, entertaining and enjoyable too - part of the rich fabric that makes up a positive employee experience.  

But, grated, there are many, many bad, suck-the-life-out-of-you, mind-numbingly pointless meetings taking place single every day.

So take stock. 

Conduct an audit to understand what gatherings are happening.

Speak to employees and managers to assess their purpose and value. 

Clarify expectations around how often and how long meetings should take place, why they exist and what should be covered.  

Equip managers with the knowledge, skills and content they need to do them well (a big part of the problem is that managers are rarely taught the art of good meetings).  

Think about the role and purpose of meetings alongside your other communication channels (to provide context, to facilitate discussion, to increase connection…) 

And then by all means then kill all of the gatherings - virtual and in person- that serve no purpose whatsoever.