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January 25, 2007

Are Company Meetings a Waste of Time?

With thoughts of President Bush’s State of the Union address still dancing in my head, I’m reminded of the annual company meetings/presentations that I’ve attended during my professional career. They tend to follow this general script:

  • President/CEO gives speech that outlines the successful year that has concluded and tells us that “big things” are expected for the year ahead.

  • President/CEO is sure to include a few rah-rah lines, designed to generate applause from the audience.

  • President/CEO assures us that employee concerns are being heard.

  • President/CEO takes a few (typically, softball) questions from the audience.

  • President/CEO concludes. Audience applauds again.

OK, so call me a cynic or a crank.  I’m just not a very big fan of these affairs.  I find them very impersonal, unproductive and full of rhetorical bluster. I notice that employees are reluctant to ask the tough questions (“Where’s that raise you promised?” “Why didn’t your touting of the new overseas office also include a note that it came at the expense of 300 domestic workers?”). I also think about how I could be getting things done back at my desk instead of hearing about how we’ll all be getting things done as a company over the next 365 days.

Or maybe it’s just that I generally dislike what I deem to be unnecessary meetings?

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Posted by Bryan on January 25, 2007 at 01:21 PM in The Daily Grind | Permalink | Comments (40) | TrackBack (0)

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Comments

Sometimes cyncial is good. This is a good posting.

Posted by: Recruiting Animal | Jan 25, 2007 2:56:49 PM

Thanks for the compliment. What's your view of company meetings?

Posted by: Bryan Person, Monster Blogger | Jan 25, 2007 3:02:36 PM

answer; of course not company sometime requires team effort so it can help the company growth! keeps tabs on projects, quota ,to meet the goals safely and no surprisizes. ( no crisis management )

Posted by: D Carroll | Jan 26, 2007 12:35:37 PM

Well said...I do know that "company meetings" are a definite waste of time!

Posted by: John Fizer | Jan 27, 2007 5:46:54 PM

Yes, most company meetings are a waste of time. With the advent of email, cells, and all manner of communication devices, the company meeting should have gone by way fo the dinosaur. Yet, it is still here chewing up valuable time.

Posted by: Klaus Engelmann | Jan 29, 2007 12:57:43 PM

we have monthly "staff meetings" as well as supervisory meeting & administrative meetings ONCE a week. what a waste of time! we spend 2 hours talking about doing things yet, no one really goes back & changes anything! BIG WASTE OF TIME!

Posted by: laurie | Jan 30, 2007 10:13:52 AM

You are right on! most meetings are just a pep rally
at least the ones I go to. What a waste of time and BS
about what is anticipated to change for the better.

Most of the time it is lies while a hidden agenda lurks in the background. "I guess Im just an idiot" feeling
abounds.

Posted by: joe | Jan 30, 2007 1:38:56 PM

I was at one company where they had several meetings every single day, recorded everything on a word processor as if it was watergate, and this was a software company! Even had meetings to discuss when they were going to have other meetings. Sad to say they went out of business. hmmm I wonder why?

Posted by: sphilllip | Jan 30, 2007 3:17:40 PM

While I have often been at meetings that were a waste of time, I have also been at important, useful meetings.

It is very important that management consider the value of the meeting they are scheduling, and control the conversation so that valuable work time is not wasted with chit-chat, which should be saved for coffee breaks.

If there is a weekly meeting that is a standing appointment, then the person in charge should do their "homework" and be prepared, so that the participants can get back to work as soon as possible. Lack of preparation for regular meetings is one of the biggest time wasters in corporations. It would be better to cancel the meeting for that week than to wast company money on people sitting in a room unproductively.

Posted by: Merry Kanawyer Clingen | Jan 31, 2007 11:43:56 AM

I agree 100% with Merry on this one. There is nothing like a meeting where everyone knows everything being discused in the meeting already. Meetings if they deem important enough should be scheduled along with emails on what information you or the employee should bring to the table along with perhaps being ready with any questions you may have. The key is be prepared. I used to have meetings once a week with the people I worked with in the same room, we would turn around and be in the meeting.

Posted by: Mark | Feb 7, 2007 4:45:56 PM

I agree that the meetings are generally a waste of time, but I always appreciate an opportunity to scarf up all the free donuts, muffins, pastry or sandwiches I can, along with all the other goodies I can drag back to my desk or bring home to my kid. If there is one bit of advice I can add to help you get more out of the meetings it would be - bring a shopping bag and some zip-locks.

Posted by: boobania | Feb 7, 2007 5:11:44 PM

I disagree. The opposite would be where the CEO didn't make the annual meeting appearance. Then you would complain that the CEO is insensitive, self-serving, unappreciative, etc. When you are that far up in the food chain, there is only so much you can do. The real decision makers that should be held accountable for the things they promise in meetings are the middle managers. Just as in politics - if you want to know what is affecting your every day life, don't listen to your President as much as you listen to your City Councilman.

Posted by: DJ | Feb 7, 2007 5:54:01 PM

The weekly staff meeting full of status reports and information sharing is now an exercise in redundancy due to the speed of e-mail. The meeting that is targeted on making high impact business decisions that require group problem solving and multiple perspectives is still valid and necessary. A meeting that is planned well, has specific desired outcomes, has facilitated disussion that drive decisions and generate outside the meeting action can get extraordinary results. For the most part, all of us are still smarter than anyone of us.

Posted by: Todd W Gerlach | Feb 7, 2007 6:12:09 PM

Once a year company meetings where the company buys the beer and the food? Don't see a problem with it. It's nice to know what the financials are and what the goals are.

Posted by: thomas | Feb 7, 2007 7:06:38 PM

A company meeting is important. I attended a weekly meeting with different contractors on multiple jobs. This is how we set(as a group) our particular window of opportunity, so the next guy can schedule properly. Scheduling and setting an agenda are all important, and it don't hurt a thing to have a little fellowship with your co-workers. So, let the idle chit chat fly.

I run my own small business now and we have a company meeting every morning with the beleagured coffee pot.

Posted by: Toby | Feb 7, 2007 7:43:10 PM

Yes, everyone who has ever had to attend regular meetings knows that 95% are a waste of time. They frustrate us and they cause us to work more hours, but we have no choice…not our call. The one bright side to meetings is if they are conference call meetings. These are the best! Why… you say. Because someone, once or twice a year, will inevitably fail to mute their phone. "What an idiot" , "why is he wasting our time with this" , "what a stupid f###!" ... that last one was my favorite! It is these wonderful moments that make up for all the negative feelings we have about meetings.

Posted by: WT | Feb 7, 2007 7:55:45 PM

Yes, everyone who has ever had to attend regular meetings knows that 95% are a waste of time. They frustrate us and they cause us to work more hours, but we have no choice…not our call. The one bright side to meetings is if they are conference call meetings. These are the best! Why… you say. Because someone, once or twice a year, will inevitably fail to mute their phone. "What an idiot" , "why is he wasting our time with this" , "what a stupid f###!" ... that last one was my favorite! It is these wonderful moments that make up for all the negative feelings we have about meetings.

Posted by: WT | Feb 7, 2007 7:56:47 PM

I work for a small business get to enjoy three types of hated staff meeting that are more theatre, than attepts at getting anything done.
1. Blamestorming meetings where instead of focusing on a solution to a problem, everyone has to tell the story of the time they made a mistake so the boss can pressure an underling into saying something was his or her fault rather than the bosses fault.
2. Meetings where the owner solicits suggestions/feedback for a program that the VP doesn't support. Each employee is asked to submit a suggestion which the VP then shoots down until everyone says "I don't know" and stares at the table.
3. Meetings where the boss explains why George Bush is a great man. He also likes to explain how reducing corporate taxes will benefit the working class and other trickle-down theories. I'm particularly amused by this when it comes between explaining last year was our best year ever and how we can't afford to give out bonuses this year.

Posted by: Kathleen | Feb 7, 2007 7:57:56 PM

The last two blogs definitely have the right idea about being prepared, but there is more to facilitating a productive meeting than doing your homework. It’s about creating a conversation that produces good communication. We have weekly meetings for our department where the supervisors discuss what their team is working on and each team member can then go into further detail if needed. Having everyone on the same team allows us to produce better quality work. If a meeting is not facilitated correctly it can quickly lead to a waste of time. This is why the leader of the meeting not only needs to be able to ask the right questions but also ask them in the right manner to produce effective communication.

Posted by: Cody | Feb 7, 2007 8:02:52 PM

I agree wholeheartedly that company meetings are a big waste of time. Then again, the management meetings at my office are an even BIGGER waste of time. They are supposed to be the place where department heads outline what they're doing and any concerns they have, but they usually turn into one big rant by the big boss.

Sometimes I want to tell them to just shove those meetings where the sun don't shine...

Posted by: Mike | Feb 7, 2007 9:49:21 PM

Ah, Yes....What is the first thing you learn in speech class and Toastmasters...Know your audience.

It all depends on how your business organization functions with the personnel.

I have worked for companies where I felt like I was a stakeholder and was very interested in what was happening with the company. This was the environment promoted by the company...they told you how you affected the bottom line and showed appreciation for it.

I have also worked for a company that does not take this direction. The CEO just stood in front and said "welcome employees" and then ran off dry numbers with out much thought as to how the audience would digest them. (Yes...One would have needed accounting experience to make full rationale of what was said)

Posted by: Alexis | Feb 7, 2007 9:50:02 PM

Well, for sure the "reason" for the meeting must be important and contributes to addressing issues/concerns, development, etc.. The stated example deals more with an "all hands" company gathering rather than an official meeting of substance. These meetings are generally used as a 'pumper upper' motivation device more than anything. Yet, often they turn into drunken orgies with loose lips getting people into hot water.

On the other hand, the use of meetings amongst functional work groups or project matrix teams are important to keep progress focused and advancing towards an understood goal.

Effective meetings should be by "invitation only" and include only those who have a stakeholder role or core team involvement. These meetings should have an Agenda prepared and distributed in advance - not ignored. And, immediately following the meeting the person calling the meeting should prepare and distribute a Meeting Recap/Summary clearly detailing what was discussed and including actions which must be addressed and by whom with a due date.

Being "required" to attend a meeting where you have little or no knowledge of its intent or discussion points is of little value and a time waster. Also, companies should be concerned when employees (regardless of level of importance) are attending so many meetings they get little done other than attend meetings. This kind of situation drains the motivation out of good employees and often they get so frustrated with a dysfunctional corporate culture that they find another job - in another company which values the time of the human asset.

Posted by: Winston on Truth | Feb 7, 2007 10:33:39 PM

My take on it is that a meeting is a waste of time unless you finish the meeting with action steps to take. If that occurs, then there's a good chance that the meeting actually saved you time by getting everyone in the same place at the same time to determine a strategy and steps to move forward. The only exception is if the C-level executives need to launch an important program or break important news. It's cost-effective to do this on one single occasion rather than separately with small groups.

So if you're ever running a meeting, consider that you should have a goal to accomplish during the meeting, there should be action items determined during the meeting, and you should stick to a schedule so it doesn't run on and on forever.

Posted by: Laura | Feb 8, 2007 1:03:08 AM

I disagree. Yearly meetings are good for getting people in isolated departments on the same page. In general, employees who gripe about annual company meetings and look forward to them as a platform for confrontational behavior are only singling themselves out as emotionally immature. It's easy for the complainers to armchair quarterback every decision!

On the other hand, departmental and project-related meetings seem to be far too frequent and are generally unproductive. Send me an email or instant message me instead -- and just let me work on the project. I'd trade a departmental meeting in favor of an annual meeting any day.

Posted by: Michael Cleveland | Feb 8, 2007 2:34:14 AM

Company meetings are mostly political. It shows who's the big dog, who's the little dog. Sometimes they are used to show who the higher ups are promoting and who they are not. Another thing is, for smaller and less executive type of meetings, they are a waste of time but they are great for people who want to feel as if they are working but they don't want to work. Whenever I hear the word "teamwork" I suspect a lack of imagination or creativity is afoot. Productive meetings are done over lunch and they are casual.

Posted by: Lois | Feb 8, 2007 5:25:19 AM

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