Meetings A Waste Of Time, Employees Complain

Meetings are like dental cleanings. No one looks forward to them, but everyone realizes how necessary they are. That doesn't mean all meetings are worthwhile, however, as a recent survey from administrative staffing service OfficeTeam found. More than a quarter (27%) of polled workers said meetings are the biggest culprit of wasted time at work. Unnecessary interruptions ranked a close second at 26%. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and included responses from 613 adult men and women. Other time-sucking practices named: socializing too much with colleagues (21%), a disorganized work area (21%) and no answer or don't know (5%). Liz Hughes, executive director of OfficeTeam, notes these red flags of mismanaged meetings:

1. No leader to keep the meeting on track.
2. A lack of an objective, which blocks or slows identification of a solution to the given problem.
3. Too many attendees.
4. Routine meetings that are always scheduled but may have lost their value.