Arbeitszeit: Teuer und ineffizient? So viel hat Ihr letztes Meeting gekostet

Deutsche firms waste around 80 billion euros per year on inefficient meetings, according to a report by Doodle in 2019. This estimate has been adjusted for inflation. A new calculator by the Handelsblatt magazine allows users to determine the cost of meetings, including an estimation of their inefficiency. The central factor in the Handelsblatt's assessment of meeting inefficiency is the number of participants.

Research by Microsoft found that perceived inclusiveness and efficiency of meetings are strongly correlated. As a result, the Handelsblatt equated individual perceived inclusiveness with meeting efficiency. With fewer than two attendees, over 90% of respondents found the meeting inclusive; this drops to 67% for meetings with three people, and to just one-third for meetings with more than fifteen participants.

Lev Tankelevitch, one of the study authors, notes, "Fewer people don't automatically mean a better meeting, but for each person, it must be clear why they are participating." Smaller meetings make it clearer why participation is necessary, leading to greater satisfaction. Moreover, smaller meetings offer a higher chance of individual contribution, further enhancing perceived efficiency.

Some companies have set guidelines for meeting sizes. Jeff Bezos, for instance, at Amazon, believes that no more than eight people should attend a meeting, like having two pizzas to feed everyone. Bayer follows a similar principle. Nisha Mahendrarajan, from Bayer's core team for meeting culture, emphasizes that if someone cannot contribute to a meeting or benefit from it, they should be allowed to leave early.

Many employees were surprised to learn how much the company could save if everyone spent an hour less in meetings each week, amounting to 124 million euros. Therefore, efficient meetings are crucial. Besides the number of participants, other factors influencing meeting efficiency include having an agenda, starting and ending on time.

Companies like Microsoft have adopted guidelines based on these insights, and Bayer is in the process of distributing a similar catalog across the group. However, the meeting calculator does not provide an absolute truth about office exchanges. Instead, it offers a scientifically grounded perspective on whether a meeting was truly necessary or if an email would suffice.