Even though staff meetings are an integral part of any business, and even though they provide both business leaders and employees the opportunity to discuss important topics to keep a company moving forward, it turns out that 60 per cent of workers actually think that these staff meetings are pointless and a waste of time.
Zoning Out and Napping
A recent survey has found that a whopping 7 out of every 10 people will always end up zoning out during a staff meeting. This means that, despite investing your time into organising a staff meeting, and despite investing in technology like this meeting room digital signage from Pronestor to help increase efficiency and keep everyone organised and on time, most of the people who are in your meeting aren’t even really paying any attention to what you’re saying. In fact, others have even stated that they use the time to take really short naps, usually lasting around two minutes.
An Opportunity for Snacks
In addition to those who use staff meetings for napping or generally zoning out, there are those who will admit that they’re there only for the delicious snacks and coffee. Even though you spent time ensuring your staff members will have refreshments at the meeting, that isn’t the point of the meeting, yet 1 in 6 people will admit that they’re there just to satisfy their appetites.
A Pointless Endeavour
Survey results also proved that 6 out of every 10 workers ultimately feel that the staff meetings that they’re required to attend are ultimately pointless endeavours. They feel that the time isn’t well spent, and that the meetings are pointless. In fact, these same people feel that their bosses simply hold these meetings just for the sake of saying that they were conducted, rather than for any real or necessary reasons.
The Consequences of Not Paying Attention at a Staff Meeting
Even though all of these workers admitted to not paying attention, taking naps, snacking, or thinking that their staff meetings were pointless, there were also many who admitted that these habits were not very good for them.
Almost 1 in 5 workers used the survey to admit that they’ve made mistakes as a result of not being attentive during a staff meeting. And over a quarter of the people surveyed stated that they had made several big mistakes because they dozed off and didn’t hear what was going on during the meeting.
What They’re Really Thinking About
Employees who have admitted to being inattentive at staff meetings have stated that they spend their time daydreaming, usually about the upcoming weekend. 31 per cent will use the time to plan their dinner, and another 16 per cent will think about what’s on TV. Almost half of employees like doodling, and 29 per cent will aimlessly look out the window. And if a smartphone or device is handy, workers are using it to go on social media or text their friends.
To make staff meetings effective and engaging, it’s clear that business managers need to make a few changes to the way they conduct their meetings.
