All day meetings seen as a ‘waste of time’ by majority of workers

Hundreds of office workers from across the UK have admitted to switching off, leaving early, and even falling asleep, during all-day meetings, according to a new report.
By Mark Casci
Published 23rd Jun 2019, 13:33 BST
meeting of team of business peoplemeeting of team of business people
meeting of team of business people

Turning Meetings Upside Down, a paper launched by Drayton Manor Park, is the result of a survey of 1,000 UK office workers who have attended an all-day meeting or training session. The results have found that over half of the respondents actually dread all-day meetings when one is put in their diaries, while 59 per cent prefer to concentrate on their work rather than attend a training session.

Causing the negativity, according to the report, is the fact meetings have a strong sense of déjà-vu, with 44 per cent experiencing the same format and agenda each time the meeting is held.

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Other problems with existing meeting structures including everyone needing to have their say, too much being crammed on the agenda and the start time running late.

The report also uncovers a real issue with attendees switching off, with more than half admitting to zoning out, while a quarter confessed to playing games or checking social media. Worryingly, 12 per cent of the respondents confirmed they had fallen asleep.

Melissa Penn, Conference and Events Manager at Drayton Manor Park, said: “In a time where businesses are scrutinising all budgets, delivering effective meetings which people look forward to can ensure that no time is wasted when lots of talent is taken out of the office and invited to an all-day session.”