A sign you're getting a raise? Tons of meetings.

A new study suggests that the frequency of meetings may serve as an indicator of wage growth. While meetings are often seen as tedious, they could potentially signal a company's success and growth, leading to better career prospects for employees. However, the correlation between meetings and wage growth does not imply causation. Attending more meetings does not guarantee a raise.

According to the study, meetings are the strongest predictor of wage growth among various workday activities. Harvard economist David Deming, a co-author of the study, posits that companies with more meetings tend to be more successful and that workers who participate in more meetings often experience greater wage growth and career advancement. This may be because more complex, specialized work often requires more collaboration and frequent communication.

The study analyzed the relationship between various workplace activities and wage growth, including meeting hours, meeting time on office days, meeting frequency, and active collaboration. The researchers found that measures capturing the intensity of workplace interaction, such as meeting hours, were strongly associated with wage growth. Broader measures, like team support and shared responsibility, were found to have a weaker association with wage progression.

The study was based on a 2025 survey of thousands of workers in Norway, alongside administrative data from 2022 to 2024. Researchers measured wage growth between 2022 and 2023, assuming that workers' meeting environments remain relatively consistent over time. Despite the positive association between meetings and wage growth, many workers find them tedious.

On average, about 60% of workers who regularly attend meetings spend over an hour per workday in meetings. However, the necessity of meetings becomes apparent when considering the complexity of modern work environments, where a multitude of assignments and specialized tasks must be coordinated.