Nothing kills productivity and innovation faster than having too many meetings. Recurring meetings are often the culprit. If you’re a middle manager, you likely spend 35% of your time in meetings. If you’re in upper level management, make that 50%. Recurring meetings are problematic because they typically last about an hour and lack a clear agenda. Regular communication is important, but it’s key to ensure that your recurring meetings are focused and productive.  We’ve all been a part of weekly recurring meetings including 20+ people that have been going on for years. Everyone comes to the meeting because they are supposed to but they aren´t really getting anything out of it. Some people are even looking at their phones or doing work on their laptops during these

You’ve seen it happen before. A group of people convene to have a meeting with the goal of coming to a decision on an important matter. Each person in the group voices their opinion and presents research and recommendations that support their perspective. By the end of the meeting, everyone has heard everyone else out, yet the group still can’t seem to reach a decision.   What should a team do when they have dissected an issue yet still can’t seem to agree on a decision together? Oftentimes, people will just agree to disagree and say, “Let’s just see how it goes,” or conclude that they can come back to the topic at a later time. But this isn’t the right approach. It’s best if everyone that’s

Flexible work policies help to introduce a semblance of balance to the workplace. This is especially true in today’s digital age, when it feels like you’re always expected to be online and work is easily accessible anytime, anywhere. In order to increase flexibility, more and more companies are allowing their employees to set their own schedules and come and go as they please. This introduces some risk for employers. But the more that companies roll out flexible policies, the more they realize that flexible work helps to boost productivity and worker retention. Workers tend to be more loyal to employers that reward them with flexibility. Many companies talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. They claim to champion workplace flexibility and offer flexible policies but

Remote work is the future. Large companies like Apple, Amazon, IBM, and Intuit have embraced remote work and its benefits. But that doesn’t mean that remote work doesn’t come with its fair share of challenges. One of the most common complaints about remote work is that it hinders communication and collaboration.   Whether your team is fully remote or some of your employees happen to be working from home on a particular day, running an effective remote meeting is easier said than done. It’s simpler to communicate with people face-to-face because you can gauge their reactions and how they are feeling.   Typically, in-person meetings are perceived as being more productive than remote meetings, but it is possible to have an effective remote meeting with the

Collaboration is essential in today’s business environment. It enables teams to be quicker and more effective in achieving shared goals. Most traditional office environments are not conducive to collaboration, however. While cubicles can be helpful for allowing employees to shut out distractions and focus on the work at hand, they do not encourage collaboration by their very nature. That being said, open offices aren’t a great alternative either. Open offices have been popularized in recent years with the hopes that they would foster spontaneous collaboration, but studies have shown that open offices actually hurt productivity and even cause workers to take more sick days.  So, how can employers solve the collaboration problem? Huddle rooms are the answer.  Huddle rooms, also known as breakout rooms, are