Intro
The mental cost of meetings can take several forms. Poor meeting health can result in moods that can take up to 40-50 minutes to recover from. Stress induced by being invited to a meeting without reason can leave some unproductive for hours beforehand. Inefficiently run or improperly structured meetings can leave attendees bored or angry. Stopping them from accomplishing other tasks and more productively spent elsewhere.
This study from Atlassian shows the different ways time is wasted in meetings and how much of it. Besides the monetary cost though, we really need to start considering the human cost. Poor communication can be a major factor in stress - verywellmind.
Meeting health affects physical health
Links between mental stress and physical health are very well documented. In the US OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) deemed stress a “hazard of the workplace.” Estimates put the cost of stress at $190 billion a year in annual healthcare bills. From sitting to long, to skipping breaks proper meeting health can mitigate many of these negative outcomes. Hybryd tackles this in a few ways:
- Setting an objective makes sure you even need the meeting (can this be an email)
- Creating an agenda lowers stress by mentally preparing attendees with what will be covered
- Setting an agenda makes sure the meeting is as short as it can be
- Hybryd progress bar and alerts stop meeting from running over time
- Wrap up makes sure that nothing is missed and the same information doesn't need to be covered twice.
- Access to clear notes and the ability to share them means less meetings overall
Location affects meeting health
The brain is an amazing thing. Having a dedicated space to hold your meetings helps make a difference as well. Studies show that having a dedicated space can help reduce overall stress by having a clearly defined boundary between work and relaxation space. The physical distinction creates a mental separation and helps the mind relax simply by not being in the physical space once clear boundaries are established.
Meeting health is a manageable problem
Intent to have a healthy meeting is key. Planning ahead helps manage the environmental load created by a meeting. Poor meeting health can lead to physical, mental, and social harm to both the team and individuals. Freelancers in particular but all remote workers can have a higher than normal level of anxiety. When meeting health is considered for a meeting, users perceive the meeting as more manageable and immune to risks.
At Hybryd our goal is to make the intent of better meeting health easier.
Sign up now for free to see if we can help you.
