How to optimise meetings and help people get the most from them

Meetings have always had their pros and cons. They're essential in business, of course, but, post-pandemic in a mainly work-from-home culture, 'jumping on a meeting' has become the norm. Managers are able to click the 'call' button to bring staff into meetings, or set up a meeting and invite anybody who seems to have a free slot in the calendar.

But with new research showing that meetings can lead to mental overload it might be time to rethink yet another Teams, Zoom or Slack call. Essentially, people are getting bored in meetings. Which surely isn't your goal when you schedule one!

‘I expected to find that people get stressed in remote meetings. But the result was the opposite – especially those who were not engaged in their work quickly became drowsy during remote meetings,’ said Assistant Professor Niina Nurmi at Aalto University, which led the study.

For staff, managers, and senior leaders, it can leave everyone feeling 'meeting-ed out'. While meetings are essential, is it time to 'meeting' (yes, we're making it a verb) smarter? If so, how? And if you're the kind of HR professional who loves a meeting, how can you break free from that norm to find other ways to manage and engage with your team and the wider staff in the company?