Think twice before sending that calendar invite.
Employees are increasingly saying that unnecessary meetings have reduced their productivity during the workday, according to a new survey of 10,624 knowledge workers from productivity management software company Asana. On average, employees spend 58 percent of their day on work coordination, rather than focusing on their skilled, strategic jobs. Nearly a quarter also say they meet too much, contributing to a drop in productivity.
Data from Microsoft also points to a plethora of meetings. Looking at the use of Microsoft Teams, researchers recently found that employees in hybrid and remote workplaces have three productivity peaks: before and after lunch and between 6 and 8 p.m. This third spike — a time away from constant pings and meetings — has emerged over the past year, and Microsoft suggests evidence that employees are using the flexibility of their work-from-home lifestyles to manage their workload. After the end of the traditional work day, some workers can concentrate better without a barrage of meetings and messages.
Hybrid flexibility in the workplace gives employees the freedom to tailor their schedules to their own needs, but managers still need to organize the workflow and set goals to move their organization toward its goals. Scheduling fewer meetings and better communicating employee expectations could be key to increasing productivity, Asana’s findings suggest.
To make remote meetings more productive, make sure they have a clear purpose that aligns with your company’s overarching goals, Carrie McKeegan, CEO of Grandville, Michigan-based tax preparation firm Greenback Expert Tax Services, previously wrote on Inc. com. With less digital in-person time spent on virtual meetings — with 52 percent of employees eventually multitasking — employees can spend more time actually doing their jobs.
This post Employees spend more time coordinating their work than actually working. The result? Organize fewer meetings
was original published at “https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/asana-anatomy-of-work-index-meetings-remote-work-efficiency.html”
