How to avoid meeting overload

The way that we work has changed fundamentally. Post-pandemic, many of us have continued to work from home. Some charities have moved to complete remote working – even giving up their office space – whilst others have a hybrid model in place. Remote working brings many benefits, such as less time and money spent on travel, but it has its disadvantages too.

 

A study by Harvard Business School of three million people in 16 global cities found that people are now attending 13% more meetings post-Covid. However, the duration of the meetings now are slightly shorter than when they were in-person and pre-Covid.

 

Reclaim.ai, a smart calendar app, looked at anonymised, aggregated data from 15,000 professionals and found that the average professional spends 21.5 hours a week in meetings compared to 14.2 hours a week pre-Covid.

 

No doubt you’ve noticed more meetings creeping into your calendar over the last couple of years. In the past, having a quick catch-up or check-in with a colleague could happen whilst making a cup of tea. Now it requires a calendar invite and a camera.

 

Remote meetings are also more intense than in-person meetings as you’re constantly looking at a screen and having to show that you’re concentrating and paying attention, whereas in face-to-face meetings no one expects you to constantly look at the person speaking. Plus you have the opportunity to give your eyes a rest from the screen.

 

With remote working here to stay, how do we ensure that we don’t slip into meeting overload?

 

 

Tips to avoid meeting overload

 

 

Insist on agendas

 

There is nothing more frustrating than receiving a meeting invite with no concept of what the meeting will cover. All meetings should have an agenda. This ensures that participants know what to prepare, where their role fits in, and helps focus the meeting and keep it to time.

 

 

Meeting or email?

 

Not everything has to be a meeting. When working in the office was the norm, we would simply walk over to a colleague’s desk to ask a question or to have a quick catch up over coffee in the kitchen. Just because we’re working from home doesn’t mean that every time you have a question you need to put in a meeting. Could it be an email, a message on Teams, or just a quick 5- or 10-minute call?

 

 

Reconsider meeting timings

 

If you’re using Outlook, the calendar invite function defaults to 30 minute time slots. This often means that colleagues will schedule a meeting for an hour, when really only 45 minutes is needed. Consider that your colleagues may have another meeting straight after yours so either ensure it’s 45 minutes or end the meeting with enough time for participants to have a comfort break or make a hot drink. This is why having an agenda is so important as it can help structure the meeting and help you stick to timings.

 

 

Consider who needs to attend

 

When working on a campaign with colleagues across the organisation, it’s inevitable that there will be meetings with a number of people who are involved in the planning and delivery of the campaign. Instead of everyone attending every meeting, take turns to attend and represent your team as a whole.

 

 

Block out focus time

 

Meeting organisers will often look at participants’ calendars to see when everyone, or the majority of people, are free. If you know that you need time to just do your work, book out ‘focus time’ in your calendar. This will help prevent people sending you meeting invites in that time period, leaving you to have time to focus on and complete your tasks.  

 

 

Have designated ‘meeting-free’ days

 

The problem with so many meetings is that it leaves very little time to actually do the work. Consider implementing a designated ‘meeting-free’ day where meetings are banned and staff can use that day to just get on with their work.

 

 

Block out your lunch break

 

Everyone is entitled to, and should have, a proper lunch break – away from their desk and their screen. To ensure that colleagues don’t put meetings in during your lunch time, block them out in your calendar. As an organisation, consider implementing a meeting-ban between 12 and 2pm, to ensure that all staff get to have a lunch break.

 

 

Have a walking meeting

 

Does a meeting always have to happen online or at a desk? If your meeting doesn’t require having to see something on a screen – such as a 1-2-1 with your manager – consider making it a ‘walking meeting’. This way you both get to have time away from your screen as well as getting out in the fresh air and stretching your legs. Conducting meetings outside can also really help with mental health and wellbeing.