How To Reduce Online Meeting Fatigue – and Increase Productivity
Companies are discovering that reducing meeting frequency can drastically improve productivity.
We all know those days of back-to-back meetings with nary a minute to switch gears and reset between video calls. And those long meetings. The ones so long you come out of it barely remembering what was discussed in the first half of it.
While meetings can be useful to discuss different perspectives and generate ideas collectively, they can also be a source of distraction. A calendar filled with meetings can give the impression of productivity and give a false sense of accomplishment, taking away from deep work.
That’s what Canadian tech giant Shopify discovered. In early 2023, they experimented with cancelling all recurring meetings of three or more people, deleting unnecessary Slack channels and requesting managers to only recreate meetings that really mattered. They also focused on creating more blocked off times for meeting-free work. As a result, Shopify found that productivity increased, and they were able to deliver about 25% more projects because of it.
And Shopify wasn’t the only company rethinking meeting culture. Netflix made changes by reducing the length of internal meetings to a maxim of 30 minutes, and pharmaceutical company Novartis implemented a two-slide maximum for presentations to reduce meeting times.
A Harvard Business Review survey of 76 companies found that a 40% of reduction in meetings increased employee productivity by a whopping 71%.
Here at Northern Primrose, we’ve long had the approach of meeting with intent. Our virtual executive assistants (VEAs) meet only when necessary – everything else is easily communicated through Slack. This means that VEAs are very mindful of how they are spending their time in a meeting so clients are not billed for idle chit-chat. It’s a get in-get out approach and it works.
Not only is there a financial cost benefit for the reduction of meetings but a mental one as well. Too many online meetings can lead to eye strain and fatigue, decreasing not just productivity but also morale.
Of course, meetings are necessary sometimes – but it’s important they don’t take over. Here are some tips to combat meeting fatigue.
1. Cancel unnecessary meetings
Regularly evaluate the purpose of each meeting and your desired outcome to ensure the meeting is actually needed to achieve your goal. If your goal can be achieved through a simple Slack call-out, then you may save yourself and your team valuable time by cancelling the meeting.
2. Stick to an agenda and set a time restraint for each item
Sticking to a meeting agenda and setting time restraints ensures focused discussions, prevents unnecessary tangents, allows for efficient decision-making and respects everyone’s time. It also fosters a more organized and productive work environment.
3. Invite necessary attendees only
Inviting only necessary attendees to meetings ensures more focused discussions as well as demonstrates respect for your team members’ workloads and priorities.
4. Allow the option for camera off
While best practices with clients may be to leave cameras on, for internal meetings leaving the camera off on video calls can help reduce video call fatigue, allowing your team to focus on the conversation without the added pressure of being constantly visible.
5. Socialize in other ways
One benefit of meeting regularly is to build relationships, which is important in any team environment. So while, yes, cancel unnecessary meetings – but make time to socialize in other ways, whether it’s through an optional virtual group social once a month or a quick weekly asynchronous Slack chat.
Learn more about how we prioritize efficiency so you can get the most value. Get in touch.
