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Late Meeting Costing Executives 5 1/2 Days Annually

August 11, 2014
By Frank Griffin, Contributing Writer

They say time is money, and nowhere is that more true than in the corporate world where every minute is accounted for and analyzed to determine if it is being used as efficiently as possible. With so much technology available capable of tracking almost every action we take, how we use our time is also being quantified to determine how it can be maximized as organizations look to find the best way to use all of their assets. A recent survey conducted by LogMeIn, Inc., and Ovum (News - Alert) has revealed the growth in the number of meetings taking place and the effect it is having on everyone in the organization.


According to the survey, the number of meetings employees have to attend has increased dramatically, and what is more troubling about this trend is two third of the respondents indicated at least half of the meetings don't have any value at all. Additionally, the impact of late start times of the meetings is affecting everyone, but especially executives who are losing up to three hours a week, which comes to five and half days per year in delayed meetings.

A cross-section of all major industries in the public and private sector from North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Central and Latin America were part of the survey. The survey was conducted by Ovum on behalf LogMeIn (News - Alert) to find out existing behavior that is taking place around meetings as the collaborative workforce model becomes a key part of today's work environment with connected employees.

Technology is playing a greater role in how the meetings are conducted, and collaboration sessions with teleconferencing and/ or Web conferencing is accounting for more than 30 percent of all meetings. The survey attributes this to the increasingly mobile, connected and consumerized workplace.

A trend that could possibly be responsible for all the lost time is the impromptu meetings that take place without any planning whatsoever. This takes place more often with one-on-one meetings 43 percent of the time internally within the organization, and 35 percent of the time externally with outside sources.

Other key findings include:

  • Employees surveyed said 91 percent of the number of meetings they are having is either static or rising.
  • Workers report 40 percent of ad hoc meeting on the rise over the past 2 years.
  • Virtual meetings becoming the norm showing a higher percentage for younger workers (age 26-35) who report that 38 percent of all of their meetings are held virtually compared to 32 percent for older workers.
  • Late start times are cited as the biggest determining factor on the success of meetings, and whether they will deliver value.

"Today's highly mobile, connected worker is collaborating more than ever, but often finds that meetings are wasting their time and consequently their productivity. Businesses must be flexible and adapt to the growing number and types of meetings -- as well as the inherent changes in both employee preference and behavior -- if they want to encourage modern collaboration in a productive manner," said Richard Absalom at Ovum. 




Edited by Adam Brandt

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