Summary.
More than four years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, what do we know about how meetings have (or haven’t) gotten back to “normal,” particularly amid calls back to the office? An analysis of 40 million virtual meetings from 11 organizations suggests that some habits, like using virtual meeting options even when in the office, are sticking. Further, data shows that meeting participation and camera usage correlates with retention. The authors recommend several ways for organizations to manage this new reality to better meetings, including identifying key meeting leaders and empowering them and using data to provide visibility into your organizational culture while also respecting privacy concerns.
Knowledge workers attend an astounding number of meetings, many of which aren’t a good use of their time. According to recent research from Microsoft, inefficient meetings are the number one barrier to productivity, with 68% of employees saying they don’t have enough uninterrupted focus time during the workday. Further, research shows that up to one-third of meetings are likely unnecessary. This issue negatively impacts productivity and engagement, with a cost estimate in the hundreds of billions of dollars.