5 Ways to Boost Hybrid/Remote Productivity by Reducing (or Avoiding!) Meetings!
5 ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐ข๐/๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ง๐ (๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ !) ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ
Are your team calendars cluttered with back-to-back meetings? Iโve been there, and Iโve watched friends and colleagues struggle with it, too. When youโre moving from one meeting to the next without pause, thereโs no time to stretch, take a break, orโmost importantlyโfocus on the actual work you need to get done!
As an HR Leader and a consultant, Iโve seen how reducing or even eliminating unnecessary meetings can turbocharge productivity and well-being. Here are five practical suggestions for making the most of an async-first work culture:
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ โ๐๐จ-๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ
Example: Instead of gathering everyone for daily or weekly stand-ups, use Slack or Microsoft Teams for async check-ins. Each team member can post a quick update on project status at the beginning of their day.
๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ
Example: For brainstorming, use an online whiteboard (like Mural or Miro) where team members can drop ideas throughout the day. Teams can then review and add feedback on each otherโs ideas without hopping on a call.
๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐-๐๐ฎ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Example: Record short video demos or project overviews (with Zoom or Teams) and store them in a shared drive. This eliminates the need to schedule โwalk-throughโ meetings and allows each person to learn at their own pace.
๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐-๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฌ
Example: Establish that urgent tasks receive replies within 2-3 hours, while general or non-urgent messages can wait up to 24 hours. This reduces the pressure to jump on a call or ping someone immediately.
๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ-๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง-๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐
Example: When new policies or project proposals arise, encourage a written proposal first. Team members can review, comment, and refine the document asynchronously. Only hold a meeting if thereโs a genuine need for live discussion after everyone has read and provided feedback.
Embracing a hybrid or remote setup doesnโt mean you have to add more meetings. By shifting to asynchronous communication, you unlock extra focus time, greater flexibility for hybrid/remote teams, and a healthier work-life balance across the organization.
What do you do to improve collaboration and reduce meetings to be more productive?
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