My workplace utilises a number of meetings, many of which are necessary, some of which, in my opinion, are not needed. Recent research from the United Kingdom and reported by the Australian Human Resource Institute online suggest that up to three-quarters of meetings are “proving completely unnecessary”. Additionally, the article places a dollar value on the cost of these ‘wasteful’ meetings.
According to the UK based consultancy firm providing the research, a one-hour meeting attended by 10 people and one manager can cost $480 before any additional travel costs for those present is taken into consideration. This figure can be up to $1400 if a legal representative or senior manager is present. Additional external consultants can see this figure rise closer to $2000 for that same one-hour meeting. Representatives of the UK based consultancy firm point out that senior management are often oblivious to the cost of such unnecessary meetings. The major take away for managers and workplaces alike appears to be that other communication forms such as email, short briefings, and desk-based conferencing tools should be relied upon more, and face-to-face meetings that are absolutely necessary should be kept as short as possible.
You can read the full report here