You Are Working Longer and Attending More Meetings

 

Work from home employees is spending more time attending more meetings and emails than before. A simple analysis of 3 million people across 16 global cities reveals that on average employees, are spending 45 minutes more than before on meetings and responding to emails. There is a general feeling that we never stop attending meetings or being present in Zoom interacting. 

Remote work has led to removing the barrier between 9 to 5 business day and replaced with asynchronous work. With many companies planning to continue WFH after the restrictions are withdrawn, it is crucial to understand how these virtual interactions will shape organisations. The purpose of an office was to get people together and help people get work done. When this physical space has been removed and replaced by virtual offices, how do people adjust their work patterns over the long term?

An analysis of emails and meetings revealed the following facts

• There was a marginal increase in the number of emails (5%)
• Approximately 10% of emails were sent after business hours.
• There were 12% more meetings
• The meetings were 20% shorter 
• No of people invited fro meetings increased by 15%

The average workday increased from the previous 8 hours to approximately 9 hours. This could be more This has gradually blurred the lines between office and home life.

This does not take into account the quality of meetings and emails being sent. Also not analysed in detail were the effects on employee wellbeing and effectiveness. 

A likely outcome videoconferencing fatigue sets in quickly for most employees and this seems more draining than in-person meetings. The issue with videoconferencing is that you have to be seen as focussing all the time and it is very unnatural to be attentive all the time. 

How managers can be mindful

• Empathize with team members unique circumstances managers should be more understanding that members ave to juggle office and homework and provide support wherever possible.
• Focus on output not hours It is impossible to track the hours put in by the team members and instead make better sense focussing on output rather than the time spent.
• Expect variations in productivity Some people may enjoy working from home and their productivity may go up but for many WFH may be stressful with many interruptions and productivity may drop due to this constant switch between work and home-related tasks. 

Working is a way of coping with uncertainties. It is our way of making sense of this world. We try and make ourselves useful as there is something big happening around us. 

You're Right! You Are Working Longer and Attending More Meetings

by Danielle Kost HBEWK 2020/09