Understanding and Addressing Meeting Load Paradox

Meetings are an integral part of our work dynamics. Meetings are platforms that help team leads and team members collaborate, discuss problems and ideas, brainstorm solutions, innovate, share feedback, and engage with each other. It is a medium that helps the team bond, build trust, foster open communication, and brainstorm ways to increase individual and team productivity. Therefore, the significance of meetings cannot be overlooked. 

However, with the rise in the frequency of both virtual and in-person meetings, the essence of this collaboration is fading away. The adage “Too much of something is not good” holds true for the most common growing concern—meeting overload.

‘Meeting overload', as the name suggests, is overload of meetings. It leads to an overload of information difficult for a human brain to retain. 

With hybrid and remote work on the rise, meeting overload is a concern that resonates with today’s workforce. Virtual platforms have made it incredibly quick and easy to connect with people and schedule meetings at any time and from any location. 

Research has shown that excessive and long meetings can have a negative impact on employee wellbeing. It can consume valuable work time meant for job duties, causing employees to stretch beyond their work hours to work and do overtime. This can lower employee morale, disturb work-life balance, and kill productivity. This phenomenon known as the'meeting load paradox’ underscores the need for organizations to strike a balance between the benefits and burdens of work meetings.

This overload of meetings disrupts the employee’s work-life balance and demands attention. Let’s figure out the causes and consequences of the 'meeting load paradox’ in our next blog and explore strategies for managing meetings effectively while also prioritizing employee wellbeing

Also Read: 

The Meeting Overload – Causes and Effects

Strategies to Manage Meeting Overload Effectively