We’ve all heard – and probably lived – the horror story of too many meetings. Whether your manager loves to talk for that extra few minutes or your calendar is littered with back to back to back meetings, employees are currently in a frustrating era of “let’s just jump on a call.” However, not all meetings have to be negative. There are actually an incredible set of benefits of regular office meetings – if you run them correctly.
In order to unlock the benefits of regular office meetings, you need to get to the core of the issue. Why is this meeting occurring; what is everyone going to take away from it? If you’re unsure about why you have to attend a weekly meeting, and can’t answer those questions, then it’s time for a change.
In this article, we’ll dive into the benefits of regular office meetings, demonstrating how you can turn a frustrating part of the week into an asset that will propel you toward success. Let’s dive right in.
Exploring the benefits of regular office meetings
Regular office meetings, whether they’re team meetings on 1:1s, can become a positive force in your workplace, helping everyone to stay on track and feel supported. While most companies only see meetings as a chance to share information, you can change the format to make them into whatever you like.
For example, if you notice that an employee isn’t submitting tasks to the same standard, then ensure they have a regular 1:1 meeting where you can discuss their workload and if they need support. As a manager, you have the power to make your workplace an engaging place to be. Regular office meetings can become the heart of this effort, providing a space to share ideas, boost employee morale, and ensure that everyone feels supported at work.
There are numerous benefits of regular office meetings:
- Improved productivity
- Streamlined operations
- Enhanced employee wellness and boosted satisfaction
Let’s explore these in more detail.
How can regular office meetings contribute to a more productive workforce?
Most of the world is now rapidly accepting a more flexible working lifestyle. Whether that looks like employees being fully remote or only coming into the office a few times a day, the world of work has certainly changed. At present, only around one in three offices have downsides of flexible work, meaning this trend is likely here to stay.
With the new culture of hybrid working in mind, regular meetings – in person or online – can be a fantastic way of keeping everyone in the loop. A team meeting on a Monday or a Thursday (No one wants a Friday meeting) will allow everyone to come together and share progress. In order to make your workforce as productive as possible, this is a great space to share positive feedback.
Although it may seem backward, don’t solely focus on things your team needs to be doing during these weekly meetings. Instead, celebrate wins. Positive feedback from managers can radically increase employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity.
These regular meetings can turn into a point of joy for your employees, helping everyone to flourish at work.
How to follow up on an office meeting action item
One of the most effective ways to create more effective regular meetings is to ensure that you leave the meeting space with clear, actionable items to continue with. Every employee should know exactly why they were in the meeting and what tasks they have to do to continue. Before leaving the meeting, establishing your action items will help create value within the meeting and increase employee satisfaction.
Once you’ve set action items, it’s important to follow up on them down the line. While some companies have automatic tools that trace tasks and workloads, you can also do this the good old-fashioned way by using email. Set a reminder on your device to send out a follow-up email 24 or 48 hours after the meeting.
This will give your team time to start work on the items you created, helping to streamline progress in these areas. Regular meetings, when combined with forward-motion strategies like action items, can be a fantastic tool for productivity.
Using regular office meetings to improve employee wellness
Employee wellness has been a hot topic for the past few years, with businesses around the globe starting to realize just how important worker mental health is. At present, 52% of businesses have a corporate wellness program, which is shown to improve productivity by 66% and boost employee satisfaction by 67%.
Beyond just establishing a wellness program, you can use your regular 1:1 meetings with staff members to focus on mental health. In your 1:1s, push notions of productivity to the side for a moment and focus on how the employee is feeling. You can discuss their current workload, if they feel supported, and if you can help make their work easier for them.
Using regular meetings in a 1:1 format gives a private space where employees can share their problems. Responding to them and helping out can go a long way to improving employee wellness and satisfaction at work.
Final Thoughts
Regular office meetings don’t have to simply take time out of your employees’ schedules. Instead, you can convert these regular meetings into a powerful force for productivity, employee wellness, and satisfaction. By using the tips that we outlined in this article, you’ll be well on your way to creating better meeting spaces.
If you’re looking to bring a whole new level of joy to your meetings, consider creating unique spaces to hold 1:1 or group meetings. At MEAVO, our range of Camden 2 and Camden 4 office meeting pods provide a phenomenal and private space to hold your best meetings yet. Reach out to our team for more information.