According to an internet meme, when a person feels lonely and does not want to make decisions, they should organize a meeting. Then they can feel important, point to diagrams with a stick, and eat donuts. This sarcastic advice is outdated. Well-run and truly necessary meetings are beneficial to the entire work community, while unnecessary ones have a devastating effect on well-being at work.
– If there are too many meetings, their arrangements do not work or you do not even know what your role is there, it causes strain. Strain, in turn, impairs concentration, memory, and cognitive performance, says Sanna Markkula, a project researcher at the University of Tampere.
A study by the University of Tampere examined the connections between meetings and well-being at work and performance at work. Pro members also participated in an extensive survey about their experiences with meetings.
An unprepared meeting is a bad meeting
Common sense says that a good meeting or gathering is well prepared, it is conducted with determination and decisions are implemented. Yet there are far too many bad, unmotivating and painful meetings for the participants.
– Research shows that, for example, the general rush of working life means that there is no time to prepare for meetings. Meetings can also be scheduled on an ad hoc basis just to fill the day.
According to Markkula, people are invited to meetings more often just to be on the safe side.
– It’s easy to invite people to a remote meeting, even when it’s uncertain if their input is really needed. This leads to employees attending whose contributions might be more valuable elsewhere.
– A big challenge, especially in hybrid meetings, is to make remote participants feel that they are genuinely involved in the meeting and able to make an impact.
The right kind of meeting for the right situation
There are differences in different meetings, and they all have their pros and cons. Remote meetings are perceived as better in more technical meetings, i.e., when you have to take care of everyday matters and monitor the progress of projects.
– Remote meetings can have a positive effect on well-being in the sense that you can plan your day more flexibly. You can even attend meetings while out for a walk, eliminating commute time altogether. All of this eliminates extra stress, says Markkula.
Then, when you need to come up with new ideas and work on big visions, sitting face-to-face in close meetings is more effective.
– Close meetings are perceived as good if you want to develop a sense of community, design a new product or service, or get new employees committed. It is therefore important to consider the purpose of a meeting when calling a meeting.
Unnecessary meetings can be reduced
In order for meetings to be effective and motivating, companies should create rules for them. What issues are discussed in meetings? Who is invited to the meeting, what matters can be handled without a meeting?
But is it permissible to avoid meetings if you assume that the meeting is useless and unnecessary for you?
– In terms of well-being at work, it would even seem quite reasonable, says Sanna Markkula.
– In the research material, some people described that even if they do not directly refuse meetings, they have learned to limit and question their participation in them. They may send a question to the convener about what their role in the meeting would be.
Markkula encourages people to think about whether there are meetings in their own work where they have to repeatedly think about why they are participating in them.
It is also worth discussing meetings with their superior. Which meetings are part of the job duties, which you can decide more freely yourself.
Markkula is involved in a different research project with the Universities of Tampere and Jyväskylä and says that she considers herself someone who rarely attends meetings.
– On average, I only have two remote meetings a week. During them, it is nice to be able to interact with colleagues. It would not hurt to have a couple more meetings a week.
Although Pro members were included in the study, their number of the total sample (1,910 respondents) was just under ten percent. Therefore, Markkula does not draw conclusions about the meeting practices of all Pro members.
– However, Pro members seemed to have perhaps slightly fewer meetings during the workweek than others. They also lead fewer meetings than other respondents.
Avoid unnecessary meetings – five tips
- If you organize a meeting, invite only those whose duties it is related to.
- If you receive an invitation to a meeting whose content seems completely foreign or pointless, ask the person who convenes the meeting if you are really needed.
- If you are getting frustrated in a meeting where nothing is being accomplished, suggest that you decide something concrete.
- If your calendar is constantly full of meetings without breaks, it is worth considering whether you are doing the right things. You can also talk to your superior about who has the right to fill whose calendars.
- Establish clear ground rules for meetings at your workplace, including scheduled breaks.