Feature
The only things certain in life are death … and meetings. Like them or not, they’ve always been a part of the corporate world and that’s unlikely to change. However, our relationship with them has quickly evolved over the past three years, and in 2023, we saw the effects of these shifts, for better or worse.
In the face of overbooked calendars and drained brains, we also started to rethink the purpose and importance of meetings, as well as the way we conduct them.
Hybrid Meeting Bloat
The days of the conference room are long gone. With hybrid work settling in as our new reality, no one is spared from the screen, whether you’re in-office or remote. As the Washington Post so eloquently put it, “Workers are putting on pants … only to be on Zoom all day.”
The other problem with meetings? We have too many of them. A Microsoft WorkLab study found 25% of workers on average — frontline and knowledge — spend at least 7.5 hours in meetings a week, with that number increasing for knowledge workers only.
Much of this was intended to compensate for a lack of face time, but it hasn’t been without consequences. In research for his book, Reworked contributor Nir Eyal found that meetings are a major distraction in the workplace, and those hours wasted cut into bottom lines.
One report from Asana’s Work Innovation Lab also found that leaders waste 3.6 hours in meetings, and that they are 30% more likely than the average knowledge worker to miss deadlines due to video calls and/or meetings.
Furthermore, all the research seems to conclude that hybrid meetings are just worse. They hinder nonverbal communication, lead to multitasking and create a host of inequities between in-office and remote participants.
Video Call Culture
Since 2020, we’ve also seen the rapid rise of “Zoom fatigue,” or the exhaustion and worry that comes with frequent video calls.
What was once thought to be a pandemic-related inconvenience is now a permanent fixture: Reworked’s 2023 State of the Digital Workplace report found that Zoom fatigue ranks as the second largest remote work challenge, surpassing onboarding, culture and productivity.
In addition to the physical and neurological strain always being on camera can cause, Zoom fatigue also stems from psychological causes. Author Melissa Romo told Reworked that employees who dare to go off camera often worry they’re perceived as disengaged or less competent. Amy Casciotti, vice president of human resources at TechSmith, said that employees also felt less confident taking breaks during the day.
The Case for Fewer … or No Meetings
To combat the onslaught of meetings, some companies are taking bold approaches. In early 2023, e-commerce platform Shopify decided to cancel upwards of 12,000 recurring meetings, in addition to reinstating “no meeting Wednesdays” as part of a two week trial to reduce their reliance on meetings and boost productivity.
It worked. By cutting out meetings, the company estimated it would save 322,000 hours this year, and deliver about 25% more projects. Following the trial, employees also felt more empowered to decline unnecessary meetings, turn their cameras off or leave early in order to engage in more substantive work.
TechSmith took a similar approach while its 300 plus employees were working remotely last summer, canceling all meetings for a month. Casciotti said the move was intended to determine which meetings were necessary and where asynchronous communication was more effective.
While there are benefits of a more asynchronous culture, organizations need to be thoughtful about how they roll out meeting reduction plans.
Rebecca Hinds, head of the Asana Work Innovation Lab, told Reworked that these efforts will only work if they rely on data and make a full implementation plan. That includes tracking, communicating and sustaining momentum.
Our Behavior Matters
Yes, there are plenty of meetings that could have been an email. But realistically, we’re not going to get rid of them entirely. In fact, there are still benefits to meetings, such as fostering human connection and ensuring everyone’s opinions are heard.
So how can we make those necessary meetings better for everyone involved? A lot of it comes down to making them more equitable, particularly for introverts who are often left sidelined while extroverts dominate the conversation. Understanding existing meeting dynamics and taking steps to change unbalanced structures is also a good first step.
As Reworked contributor Adi Gaskell suggests, we also just need to get better at taking turns in virtual conversations as well as expressing appreciation for our fellow participants’ thoughts.
Contributor Karin Hurt offered some sage advice on how to address the oversharers in meetings, including giving employees the rotating role of facilitator and implementing breakout sessions within larger meetings.
Conference
Sep
16
HR Tech Conference Las Vegas 2025
Register
Conference
Oct
27
Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo Orlando 2025
Register
Another potential tool? Artificial intelligence. AI meeting assistants are getting smarter, and tools like smart cameras, automatic note-taking and transcript generators can save time, enable moderation and improve meeting equity. There’s also a slate of next-generation tools that use AI to track our performance in meetings and coach us towards better habits.
While this is all promising, companies still need to take steps to avoid a surveillance culture. Furthermore, as collaboration expert Deb Mashek told Reworked, these tools might give us the right insights, but it’s up to us to change our behaviors.
What Will 2024 Bring?
2024 just might be the year we fight back against existing meeting culture. However, this depends on whether companies can accept we won't be returning to our old in-office ways, and that the future of work is here.
