How to Get Rid of Useless Meetings with Effective Performance Management

Meetings have a bad reputation in the workforce. In the US alone, there are 11 million formal business meetings each day and it wastes an estimated $37 billion. Of course, the meeting will never go away especially as more companies welcome workflex options into their organizations. They are a necessary part of staying on track as a team, but at the root of all meeting woes is the communication everyone is so desperate to achieve. Thankfully, there is a way to build better communication within organizations and it all starts with effective performance management.

What makes a good meeting?

A good meeting is concise while covering all necessary information and answering all questions a team might have before the next scheduled meeting. There should be noticeable contributions from more than the person who holds/calls the meeting and, if possible, new ideas to old processes are shared. Great meetings follow agendas and when employees leave, they feel enthused and prepared to get to work. Unfortunately, here is the reality of the average modern workforce meeting:

• 37% of employee time is spent in meetings

• 39% of participants admitted to falling asleep in a meeting

• Over 70% of participants brought other work

• An estimated 25-50% of meeting time is wasted

Here is where an effective performance management strategy comes in…

Feedback Builds Confidence in Collaboration

With 71% of employees preferring immediate feedback, there is no doubt that continuous and constant feedback is high on an employee’s performance management must-have list. The process calls for immediate praise or critique of performance so the employee can adjust their approach just as quickly. Teams with continuous feedback are not only used to the amount and frequency, they are equipped to take on criticism too. Even if the negative critique is given right in the thick of things. A well-rounded performance management strategy should also invite colleagues to provide insight to their colleagues in what are called peer to peer reviews.

Before any type of actual collaboration is taking place, the employee is acclimating to delivering ideas and getting a response. For employees, the practice instills confidence and builds trust in managers and colleagues. This is pivotal in holding meetings. Individuals of such a team will have the confidence to offer input, instead of one person droning on.

Performance Appraisals Ensure Goal Alignment

Performance appraisals are the mode of communication a great performance management strategy must rely on. Performance appraisals have increased in frequency for most organizations, but what is truly making the difference in growth is the increased emphasis on transparency and leadership development. In appraisals, employees are encouraged to discuss their career goals and how those align with the company. Likewise, managers are able to build succession plans and training around those desires. This process is also known as goals transparency.

Successful meetings should also have goals alignment. The agenda is a plan and that should be shared with all participants, so no one is caught unaware of the direction the meeting is taking. Of course, if individuals have never taken the time to think or discuss where they are taking their department, building a meeting agenda is impossible. Employees need that conversation to always be happening so they can relate it to the team on a grander scale.

An effective performance management strategy includes a well-rounded view of feedback and encourages goals alignment. Sometimes getting all this right takes a little help. Our tool can help your team build structure into your feedback, review and goal alignment process. Watch our short demo to see what we mean!