{"id":2879,"date":"2022-04-07T20:17:58","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T00:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/?p=2879"},"modified":"2023-04-27T14:13:59","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T18:13:59","slug":"how-meeting-free-days-can-boost-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/blog\/article\/how-meeting-free-days-can-boost-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"How meeting-free days can boost productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Have you ever been in the middle of a task, only to be interrupted by a meeting reminder? Or perhaps it feels like your inbox is always flooded with new meeting requests. Many workers are experiencing meeting fatigue\u2014in fact, <a style=\"color: #006fd6;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlassian.com\/time-wasting-at-work-infographic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most employees attend more than 60 meetings per month<\/a>. More and more businesses are re-assessing their approach to meetings, with many now adopting meeting-free days.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #42337e; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">How effective are meetings?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Meetings are a regular\u2014sometimes constant\u2014part of the workday. With many businesses moving towards remote and <a style=\"color: #006fd6;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/blog\/article\/the-hybrid-divide-how-to-keep-remote-and-onsite-workers-united#042022-hybrid-divide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-anchor=\"#042022-hybrid-divide\">hybrid workplace models<\/a>, coordinating distributed teams can sometimes lead to longer or more frequent meetings. Meetings are meant to increase efficiency and solve problems, but they often do the exact opposite. Let\u2019s look at the case against meetings:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">They disrupt employees during their most productive hours and break their train of thought.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Preparing for meetings takes up valuable time.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Getting back into the groove of work after a meeting can be challenging.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #42337e; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><br>Is eliminating meetings the answer?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Not quite. Ending meetings altogether is a radical move, and it\u2019s likely not the best solution. Meetings are still an important part of work because they can be a time to:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Nurture team cohesion;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Encourage socialization; and<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Organize and plan tasks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So how do you ensure both productivity and collaboration? Many businesses are turning to meeting-free days to achieve the right balance.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #42337e; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><br>What are meeting-free days?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">As the name suggests, meeting-free days are designated days of the week without any meetings, including team meetings or one-on-ones. They are typically predetermined days that are agreed upon by a team. These days give employees dedicated time to work through their to-do list or tackle new projects without any interruptions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #42337e; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">What are the benefits of meeting-free days?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Though meeting-free days may not work for everyone depending on their role, reducing meetings can be extremely advantageous for many employees. Here are a few benefits of setting aside dedicated days for focused work:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Reduce distractions<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">If you have ever been interrupted while working, you know how frustrating any type of distraction can be. Even with a quick 10-minute meeting, employees end up losing much more time than that. Researchers have found that after an interruption, <a style=\"color: #006fd6;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/inspired-life\/wp\/2015\/06\/01\/interruptions-at-work-can-cost-you-up-to-6-hours-a-day-heres-how-to-avoid-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">it can take 23 minutes to get back to where you left off.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Sometimes an employee may need a few distraction-free hours to complete a project. Unfortunately, finding a block of time can be difficult for those who have meetings scheduled throughout the day. Meeting-free days give your team time to start and finish tasks that require focussed attention.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Improve engagement<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Have you ever left a meeting thinking that it could have been an e-mail? <a style=\"color: #006fd6;\" href=\"https:\/\/ideas.ted.com\/the-economic-impact-of-bad-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">50 percent of people find meetings to be unproductive<\/a>, and more than 70 percent do other work at meetings. An overload of meetings is leaving employees disengaged and stressed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Implementing meeting-free days can help team members become more thoughtful about which meetings are really adding value. By cancelling unnecessary meetings, employees can become more focussed during important meetings. Meetings can become more intentional, productive, and goal-oriented, and employees can arrive prepared to contribute.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Promote autonomy<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Meeting-free days can be a time for employees to find innovative ideas and solutions. While collaboration is key for many tasks, it is also important to nurture independence and build trust in the workplace.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">A recent survey of more than 75 companies showed <a style=\"color: #006fd6;\" href=\"https:\/\/sloanreview.mit.edu\/article\/the-surprising-impact-of-meeting-free-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">autonomy, communication, engagement, and satisfaction all improved with the introduction of one meeting-free day per week.<\/a> This resulted in decreased micromanagement, reduced stress, and increased productivity. It was also found that employees\u2019 psychological, physical, and mental well-being were at their peak when given the opportunity to work independently and collaborate with others at their own pace.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #42337e; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So how do you implement meeting-free days?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">If meeting-free days are something you would like to try in your organization, we can help! Our HR experts have put together a FREE guide with strategies and advice to get you started. <a style=\"color: #006fd6;\" href=\"https:\/\/offers.hrdownloads.com\/guide-to-implementing-meeting-free-days#042022-guide-meeting-free\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-anchor=\"#042022-guide-meeting-free\">Download our Guide to Implementing Meeting-Free Days!<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a style=\"color: #006fd6;\" href=\"https:\/\/offers.hrdownloads.com\/guide-to-implementing-meeting-free-days#042022-guide-meeting-free\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-anchor=\"#042022-guide-meeting-free\"><strong><span style=\"color: #006fd6; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Download now!<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever been in the middle of a task, only to be interrupted by a meeting reminder? Or perhaps it feels like your inbox is always flooded with new meeting requests. Many workers are experiencing meeting fatigue\u2014in fact, most employees attend more than 60 meetings per month. More and more businesses are re-assessing their approach to meetings, with many now adopting meeting-free days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":2880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2879"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4473,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions\/4473"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}