On our agenda: Cutting down on meetings

Since the start of the pandemic, more and more of our time has been taken up with meetings - on average, half of our work week. But they're often less than productive, which is why the corporate offices of Shopify imposed a meeting moratorium, deleting almost all meetings with more than two people. Correspondent Mo Rocca looks at how meetings can be reduced and improved. (This story was originally broadcast April 16, 2023.)
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[@ssshar2176]

You know the saying “this meeting should have been an email”? I once had a meeting where all we did was read the email 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@bloatedsodium7301]

We need to have a meeting about making 4-day work weeks happen.

[@user-jx1xp6ho1y]

😂 then you would be working 10 hours days

[@bloatedsodium7301]

@@user-jx1xp6ho1y you still believe in 40 hour work weeks? 😂

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

The German always do that

[@allykatt1849]

​@@user-jx1xp6ho1y Uhhh yes, that would be the idea.

[@johncooksey79]

Also require the participants to stand up during the whole meeting, With no drinks or coffee, This shortens the meetings to about half the time.

[@jeank5410]

I’ve heard of this .. would have helped some meetings I’ve been in as some people don’t respect other people’s time unless they have to go off to another meeting themselves.

[@stevevice9863]

As an Architect, I can verify the statement that meetings slow down production. When we are in design mode it takes intense concentration and large blocks of time...meaning several hours, to find solutions. If I get interrupted every hour for a meeting it kills the creative momentum that has been built up to get into "the zone" where my brain is operating at it's peak efficiency. I end up working "after hours" and on weekends to avoid interruption so I can get creative tasks done. I'm all for less meetings, or schedule all meetings for the mornings and leave the afternoons free.

[@recherche4528]

I worked at a company where there were several meetings throughout the day. As opposed to being productive, It was such a waste of time and illuminated the inefficiency and chaos within the company.

[@jeank5410]

Years ago I was told to travel to another office (in another city, so by plane) to meet with a coworker about some project I was only getting involved with. I had no idea what was expected of me so I asked what I was supposed to bring back. The boss told me to meet (by phone) with the coworker, during the call she said “I really won’t have anything for you” so when I reported that to the boss she cancelled the trip. Other times I was asked if about holding a meeting about such and such, I killed them when I said no, I’ll find out via email. I could go on and on with this nonsense. People are always “very busy” and I’m just sitting around. SMH.

[@PerryLevy]

Having a meeting to schedule a meeting. The best 😂

[@mattt7815]

Excellent story!

[@cornishpasty4344]

The biggest thing I experience at my current role is that biweekly status meetings aren't equitable at all. We're basically being dictated to and then more senior people are taking up at least 2/3rds of the meeting time, leaving everyone else rushing and stumbling to make their points/ask their questions per the agenda. The stuff being dictated as well isn't relevant to all in the room so lots of time is being wasted. There are lots of senior managers who have had no meeting management training.

[@tobechukwuolumba7337]

Meetings can really hurt productivity while you are at work. What to do is to make up those hours.

[@houchi69]

Depends. Send an agenda prior to the meeting, so people can be prepared, or prepare on the topics. Only invite all necessary members, nothing more. Go into the meeting with the goal to resolve issues, instead of just discussions.

[@nealwhaley63]

It’s either corner people in a meeting for answers or spend all day looking at an inbox full of messages searching for answers.

[@flashflame4952]

Where was this when I was WORKING??? Geezus the term 'brain storm' turns out to be a DRIZZLE!

[@kelleyspears1218]

Meetings during the pandemic jumped in large part to keep people connected when they were working remotely. With so many people sitting at home, that was one way to keep a connection to their workers.

[@bradfordjhart]

I used to work with a guy that would sit in a meeting for few minutes then if nothing was really moving he would slam his fist on the table and yell "WHAT IS THIS MEETING ABOUT" people would just look at each other as if you say i don't know either

[@ssshar2176]

I think the reason we have more meeting now is that execs want to make sure the remote employees are actually there.

[@Boertje247]

Most emails are redundant as are 90% of all meetings. I used to pretend an important client was calling so I could leave the draggy, boring meeting, usually where someone stuck in middle management used a meeting to bolster their self-importance. These types of meetings never ever did a dang thing to boost productivity, cohesiveness, efficiency. Nope, imma dip on this one! Many studies show most people are MORE efficient when not beleaguered by inane meetings, unnecessary reports, etc. And 80% of workers can get every task accomplished in far less then 8 hours.

[@Itsgrantsrants]

A total waste of time. I can’t get any of my work done.

[@antoinetbd8016]

Since covid the entire corporate business model is antiquated

[@orah12185]

What about good meetings that save time, confusion, and mistakes. Meetings that collect ideas, collaboration, and reduce written communication. Although, a reinforcing followup email/memo is recommended. I’m retired, so what do I know. Just let me know when coffee is served. 😅

[@kelleyspears1218]

There’s a time and place for meetings. I can think of many reasons to have one. But they don’t need to be long, they don’t need to take up hours of time, and they need to be justified. Otherwise they are a waste of manpower and resources.

[@jeank5410]

A good meeting planner will have an agenda in the invite to explain to the invitees what’s going to be discussed plus anyone invited should be the ones who can participate. I loathe the ones that are a cast of thousands where only a few people participate… I’m talking about the ones where information is gathered and discussed, not the “Town Hall” types where leadership talks about recent accomplishments.

[@christinacascadilla4473]

Public school administrators need meetings to justify their jobs. The superintendent, assistant superintendent, directors of curriculum, and the whatever other ridiculous positions you have at your school district’s district office just go from meeting to meeting to fill their day because they have nothing else to do and it makes it look like they are working. If you are into educational reform, this is where you need to start. If your school district has a Director of Secondary Curriculum, I assure you that this person does nothing meaningful and your district is wasting $110,000 a year on the salary.

[@hummersd]

Agree some meetings can be emails, but then some emails should just be meetings so that 1. you're not spending a large amount of time composing the email and 2. you may inevitably have emails or slacks/messages doing Q&A which could be covered in a meeting. If you're collaborating 1:1 and discover others are having 1:1's with the same or differing thoughts, there could be wasted time and energy spent on something that could be a meeting. I'm curious if Shopify's method will work in the longterm.

[@iismyalias]

Honestly most meetings are NOT necessary. All they do is pull you away from the work you need to be finishing. I personally learned to despise all the meetings I had to go to. It’s like they want to heard you all into one room so they can torment you for an hour, multiple times per week.

[@claudetteholloway1126]

Coca- Cola taught me to hate meetings.

[@soup3097]

Meeting scientist?

[@boxingandbulldogs6341]

If you're talking, you're not working.

[@steveconn]

As the late exec Bill Blass said, facetime with other human beings is important; we've become such slaves to tech convenience and Zoom we've lost the human connection, which ultimately has sociopathic consequences. Meetings build empathy.

[@Mediaright]

And waste TONS of time.

[@aguerra1381]

If people took God seriously and started their meeting with a prayer, maybe things would go more smoothly and better ideas would be brought forth. It works!

[@claudetteholloway1126]

ARE YOU SERIOUS???!!! KEEP THAT CRAP TO YOURSELF!!!

[@aguerra1381]

@@claudetteholloway1126 Crap until one realizes how REAL it can be. As you can see, others have agreed.. I hope at some point He changes your way of perceiving Him.

[@claudetteholloway1126]

I am not a christian, and many others aren't either. Keep that crap to yourself.

[@aguerra1381]

@@claudetteholloway1126 So you don't believe in free expression. I do as long as it's not harmful to others.

[@claudetteholloway1126]

@@aguerra1381 You are intending to project your beliefs on others. Keep that crap to yourself.

[@johnnyc.388]

Weird dudes