Are Meetings Destroying Your Employee’s Productivity?

Are Meetings Destroying Your Employee’s Productivity?

When was the last time you left a meeting thinking, “what did we actually accomplish in there?” Chances are, that’s a more common thought than you’d like to admit.

Meetings are notorious for being time wasters but did you also know they’re stealing from your employee’s productivity? Here’s how.

The Analysis Paralysis Trap

In decision making meetings, you need to walk away with a resolution to make your meeting worthwhile. Still, while people are brainstorming and putting on their thinking caps, they’re also deepening their risk of falling into the analysis paralysis trap.

Analysis paralysis is when you and your team are paralyzed by the number of options available. In larger groups or in meetings where there is not a clear starting point, this is a very common trap to fall into. When you do, the time your employees spent at the meeting becomes a waste instead of the productive step forward you’d hoped it would be.

The Timing

Is your meeting the best use of your employee’s time? Your team might not think so. After all, they’re tasked with many jobs already. The meeting is a distraction from their daily roles.

Consider the amount of time a person spends preparing for a meeting. Then, consider how much time the person spends in the meeting itself and recapping everything mentally afterward. There is a lot more time that goes into a meeting than the actual time your team is sitting around the conference room discussing.

Make Your Meetings More Productive

Okay, you get it. Meetings are making it hard for your team to do their job, but they’re a necessary evil in the workplace. There are a few things you can do to stop wasting your employee’s time and start making everyone more productive before, during and after the meetings.

Clarify the Purpose

Some meetings are purely informational. These can be kept short. Others require you to walk away with a decision having been made. Clarifying the purpose of your meeting will help keep you on task and moving toward a productive resolution.

Have a Clear Agenda

Outline what specifically you want to accomplish during your meeting. Publicize this agenda ahead of time so your team also knows what you want to accomplish. This way, each person can bring the information needed to address any concerns and move forward with a plan.

Schedule It

Make sure you give your team enough advanced notice to make the meeting worthwhile. Schedule your meeting far enough in advance through your online scheduling software so everyone can anticipate what will happen and can prepare.

Assign Roles

In the meeting, assign certain people to a role. For example, you might be the facilitator, but having a timekeeper will help you stay on track and take your mind off worrying about watching the clock while you present.

Before Your Next Meeting

Before you head into your next meeting, keep these tips in mind. By understanding the impact meetings have on your employee’s productivity and how to maximize your meeting’s efficacy you’re more likely to achieve your goals without draining your team’s energy.

Author Profile Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleBase employee scheduling software, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies in 2004 through 2007 and again in 2010, 2013 and 2014.