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Make your Meetings More Productive

April 28, 2017Lori Rohrbach

 

If you feel like your entire work life is spent in conference rooms or on conference calls, you are not alone. The amount of time the average employee spends in meetings has been steadily increasing since 2008. According to the Harvard Business Review, 15% of a company’s collective time is spent in meetings. And a Harris/Clarizen poll of 2,066 American adults found that nearly half of those surveyed would choose “any unpleasant activity” (such as a root canal) over a meeting.

Of course, it’s not the idea of a meeting that is to blame. It is the lack of advanced planning by meeting organizers that sink productivity and morale.

Here are some tips to ensure your meetings are worth everyone’s time:

Send invites with plenty of notice. No one likes to get a last-minute meeting invite, especially if they have already planned their day. The time-frame for sending a meeting invite should be based on how much time each participant will need to prepare. The exception is if your organization is dealing with an urgent issue, which requires immediate action.

Draft and circulate a meeting agenda. Your agenda should outline what you will cover in the meeting and define objectives. Share it and any other materials pertinent to the meeting with all attendees at least one day in advance.

Start and stop on time. This sounds easy, but many colleagues use the start of a meeting to chitchat, or meeting organizers wait for everyone to show up before getting started. Respect your colleagues’ time by starting and ending punctually, even if the agenda hasn’t been fully covered.

Use video conferencing. If you are gathering colleagues in various locations, consider using a video conferencing platform like WebExTM. People who are on camera are less likely to multitask, which helps them remain focused and the meeting stays on track.

Assign action items. Everyone should leave the meeting with clearly defined expectations for next steps and which deliverables they need to own. This will make it much easier to get a status update and ensures a more effective follow-up meeting. And nothing conveys the importance of the meeting your just attended like a follow up email that summarizes the actions for all attendees.

 

Author: Ashlee Goodman

 

 

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Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

 

Whether telecommuting is old hat or something you’ve been forced into as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, here are a few tips to make the experience run smoothly for both employers and employees.

 

Managing expectations

Successful work-from-home strategies always begin with clearly communicated expectations. Make sure your employees have any necessary equipment, tools and resources.  Will they need to track their time? Participate in regularly scheduled meetings? Be available at certain times of day? For employees, know what you’re accountable for and clearly communicate any challenges you’re having.

 

Constant communication

Keep the lines of communication open and be accessible. Check in with employees regularly through apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Skype, or even an old-fashioned email or phone call. Be genuinely interested in how they’re doing but don’t overdo it. Foster a feeling of trust by not micromanaging.

 

Nine to five…ish

While having a daily schedule is ideal, it may not always be practical right now. Make sure your people know when you need them to be available and try to offer flexibility at other times. They may be juggling school schedules as well as work schedules and working at “off-shift” times may be necessary. Be mindful of employees in different time zones as well.

 

For employees, try to work when you’re at your best, and not when you’re exhausted by kindergarten playtime and fourth grade math. Make sure people know if you will be unavailable at certain times.

 

Taking a break

Getting up and moving clears the head and helps with creativity and problem-solving. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a break for lunch, make time to get away from your desk throughout the day.

 

Signing off

Working from home does not mean being available 24/7. Set an actual end to the workday if possible. Don’t send and respond to messages at all hours. Sign out of messaging apps and close work programs. Understand and respect these boundaries.

 

Location, location, location

When setting up a home office, think about where you will have the fewest distractions – for yourself and for those who may be seeing you and your background on a video conferencing platform. Try to avoid busy spots that may include semi-clad people walking behind you, barking dogs and kids vying for your attention.

 

Conferencing and calls

Be clear about whether you expect people to turn on their cameras during meetings. If so, be clear about how they should be dressed. During calls, mute your phone when you’re not talking to avoid background noise. Headphones can also help with call quality. When speaking, pause frequently so others can participate in the conversation.

 

Social engagement

It’s ok for managers and employees to have some down time together, which may help ward off feelings of isolation. Keep up your normal level of interaction, perhaps with a virtual coffee break or happy hour. Managers should set the tone for how casual to be. Let employees choose what they would like to share, and never pry into areas that were off-limits before.

 

 

Author: Erin Alderfer

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