If you had a dollar for every unnecessary and pointless meeting you sat in, you’d have enough money to put your feet up and retire early.
But it’s a necessary evil in large organisations. HR roles are often highly specialised, which means bringing multiple teams together to buy in on the bigger picture can lead to an overflow of meetings. And if those meetings aren’t structured properly, they become a massive drain on time and productivity. This imbalance in meeting culture is not just frustrating, it’s expensive.
Research suggests we waste approximately 258 hours a year on meetings. Roughly 5 hours a week.
They’re not only annoying when you have a ton of things to do, but incredibly costly in terms of productivity if they’re not run efficiently. The research revealed that 78 per cent of HR employees find it difficult to get their work done because they are expected to attend so many meetings.
This intensity often forces managers to focus on immediate tasks, leaving little room for strategic conversations about the future. And we know how easy it is for HR teams to get bogged down in admin HR instead of focusing on strategic HR…
But this doesn’t mean you have to cancel meetings. In fact, according to another survey, the majority of employees believe meetings are essential for collaboration and problem solving. The challenge is ensuring they aren’t held at the cost of productivity and wasted energy on administrative chatter.
So instead of having teams sit in meetings all day, we’ll explore why we got here and how you can make HR meetings more effective and energising for all involved.
How did we get here?
The pandemic led to more meetings as some leaders used them to compensate for the loss of in-person contact. Others kept scheduling them out of habit, or because seeing their employees helped assure them that people were actually working. But these behaviours came at a cost.
Among the common complaints about meetings overheard in offices are:
- not being able to get a word in because a handful of voices dominated the discussion;
- not understanding the next steps to be taken after the meeting;
- being forced to listen to information that could have been explained in an email
So what’s the answer?
Better leadership.
Work has changed
Modern work practices have challenged the relevance of traditional meetings. HR leaders need to bring meeting culture in line with modern ways of working.
And a great way to do that is by giving attendees something to do. It also discourages them from multitasking or attending without contributing because it keeps everyone present.
For example, all of Amazon’s internal meetings are ‘silent’. There are no PowerPoint slides. Instead, Amazon kicks off meetings with a concise, six-page document that everyone reads in silence, ensuring all attendees start on the same page. This approach forces everyone to come prepared, fosters accountability, and levels the playing field. This also means attendees can’t bluff their way through discussions.
However, there is no universal fix for every organisation. It starts by looking at your own meeting culture and pinpointing what’s broken. Ask yourself, “is there a clear agenda?”, “do I have the right people in the room?” and “can this meeting be shortened?”
You can also try small experiments, like reducing the frequency of a recurring meeting and seeing if it improves focus and results. If it does, double down on that approach. If not, go back to the drawing board.
Ensure leaders should model best practices themselves. Employees might hesitate to decline a poorly structured meeting, especially if it’s scheduled by a senior leader. When leadership sets an example by insisting on agendas, inviting only relevant stakeholders, and opting out of meetings that don’t align with their skills or objectives, they pave the way for a more efficient meeting culture.
About us
Martian Logic has been empowering HR teams for years with simple, scalable solutions that let organisations thrive. Our intuitive HRIS streamlines everything from recruitment to onboarding, and it’s designed to help you run more efficient, effective meetings. By turning tedious administrative tasks into automated processes, our platform not only saves you time during meetings but also enhances overall HR performance. Ready to revolutionise your HR meetings? Contact us today and discover how Martian Logic can boost engagement, retention, and long-term success.
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