Office meetings 'a waste of time'
November 1, 2009
By SYMON ROSS
OFFICE workers are wasting hours every week in meetings which they neither contribute to or get much out of, according to new research.
The average office worker wastes 52 minutes a day in "pointless" meetings where they don't speak, aren't listened to or are just making up the numbers.
That is according to research by You Brand, a communication coaching programme.
You Brand founder Julia Goodman quizzed clients, which include FTSE 50 companies, about the etiquette and mechanics of meetings.
"Many people feel isolated and cut out of meetings, with the biggest complaint being shouted down by louder members of staff," she said.
"Interestingly, more dominant characters say meetings fail because colleagues don't contribute enough. What people don't realise is that speaking in the first five minutes of a meeting will make sure they are listened to later.
A separate survey by sandwich chain Subway found that most office workers have to attend at least one meeting every day but many believe they are a waste of time and devise ways of relieving the boredom.
The survey of 500 London office staff showed that half asked for a toilet break to escape from a meeting while others constantly checked their cellphones, played word games or flirted.
The research showed most of those questioned had to attend an average of eight meetings a week. One in 10 said they had fallen asleep during a meeting, while a similar number played wordgames in their notebooks to keep awake.
Respondents said the worst places they had held meetings included inside a car, in the underwear section of a department store and in a windowless, airless room with a picture of a beach all along one wall.
Ruth Badger, star of BBC's The Apprentice, said: "Meetings are important but they don't have to be boring or a waste of time.
"The key advice for heads of meetings is keep everyone fed and watered, keep to a strict agenda, make sure everyone in the room has a part to play, and ensure that the meeting lasts no longer than is absolutely necessary."
Other advice for effective meetings given by You Gov included getting people to take control if the conversation goes on a tangent, even if they are not chairing the meeting.
It also said participants should come prepared to meetings and try to sit up straight with their feet flat on the floor.
"Slouching might mean you are relaxed, but could be interpreted as being rude, lazy or annoyed." - The Independent
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