Think of all the things you could be doing…
Like some work, maybe.
Sometimes, meetings are very productive, indeed.
You leave them feeling a sense of accomplishment, like you’ve truly cracked the real reason you were hired, like you were born to do this job.
And then other times, you’re sitting there looking at your watch, wishing it would all just end and put you out of your misery.
Being in a meeting is (probably) one of the only times that you actually wish you could be back at your desk… so that’s why when we found out exactly how much time we spend sitting around the boardroom table, we were fairly taken aback.
And upset. Very upset.
According to data compiled by Deliveroo, the average Irish person will attend 6,500 meetings over the course of their lifetime.
Assuming the average meeting lasts somewhere between 15-30 minutes, that’s at least 97,500 minutes, or 1,625 hours, or a whole 86 days, spent talking all things strategy, numbers, and a whole load of other things that could probably be as efficiently discussed via one paragraph long email.
We know, we know, you’re probably asking why we’re hating on meetings so much.
In fairness to them, a lot of the time they are pretty useful but as it turns out, apparently almost half of meetings had are totally and utterly pointless.
Right so.
We’re not the only ones who are less than fond of them either.
The study also showed that one in 10 Irish people have accidentally fallen asleep during a meeting, and that one in three have started daydreaming.
Similarly, the meetings themselves don’t tend to be the most productive activities for everyone involved with 60 percent of people saying that they text friends or family members while they’re there.
Unsurprisingly though, the one thing that makes people more likely to want to attend meetings is the promise of food or drink.
Deliveroo’s Juan Diego Farah said that traditionally, the food offered at meetings tends to be a bit grim.
He said:
“Some meetings do drag on and breaking up proceedings with breaks for tasty, high quality food and drink can really boost people’s energy levels and enthusiasm.”
An impressive 82 people of people said they’d be more inclined to actually show up to a meeting if there was a bit of grub on offer.
So, you know, if you’re an employer and you feel like your workers’ attention spans are dwindling, just offer them a gourmet sandwich or seven.
Sorted.
