They say that time is money, so wasted time at work is a serious issue for businesses.

You would be surprised how much of that wasted time is due to unproductive meetings…or maybe not!

There are lots of tips out there to improve the effectiveness of meetings, but our biggest suggestion is management training. Why? Because when you are sitting in a meeting, daydreaming or spending the first 15 minutes trying to work out why it is that you are even having one, you are costing your business money.

You probably knew that already, but have you really thought about the numbers?

A few years ago the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) found that workers waste 2 hours and 39 minutes in meetings every week,  and it’s costing the UK economy £26 billion a year!

Because meetings are also usually spread throughout the day, it causes further wasted time because it is impossible to get in the zone with the constant interruptions.

Still, meetings are essential to any business and can improve productivity if performed correctly.

So how do you make meetings more effective?

  • Stick to an agenda – If you don’t have a clear agenda, then do not schedule a meeting. There is no point in having one if you do not know what you are trying to achieve from it. Try and write your agenda with clear and concise bullet point actions and think about what you want to achieve by the end of the meeting when writing these down. And of course, don’t forget to send the agenda to your team in advance, so they have a chance to prepare.
  • Start on time – If people arrive late, then so be it! It is important to start on time and you can be discussing things that do not directly need their input in the meantime. Due to the amazing agenda that you sent them the day before, they should be able to clearly pick up what is going on!
  • Only include key people – After adding the entire team to the meeting invite, take a minute to think about who actually needs to be there. There is no point in inviting someone who will not be able to add or gain anything.
  • Stick to your allotted time – After discussing what you got up to over the weekend and commenting on the nice biscuits, you may have already wasted a good 10 minutes. Regardless, still leave the meeting at the allotted time.
  • Management training – A good management training program can help managers to learn how to prioritise their own time and the time of their team. This alone could save your business a lot of money.

Read our case study on Management Training

Take a look at the feedback from our last management training event!

Our client, Optimus Patents, required some management training. Tony Wray said:

“Frankly, I would describe Reality HR as an absolute godsend. They have a lot of experience, not just in HR, and that has enabled them to help us function better as an organisation without wasting time. They are very hands-on, proactive and a pleasure to work with. I would say to any other business owner – if you have a legal issue you would go to a solicitor, if you need to file your tax return you go to an accountant, so when you employ people you need an HR consultant. Any business that doesn’t have a dedicated HR resource, should definitely look to outsource their HR. I have peace of mind knowing that my business can operate effectively because any HR issues are being managed properly.”

If you think management training could be the answer to saving your business wasted time and money, then give us a call on 01256 328 428 or fill out the form below to arrange a call back:

 

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