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

Deutschland loses over 80 billion euros annually due to inefficient meetings, according to a 2019 report by meeting software company Doodle. This figure is calculated by accounting for inflation and includes a rough estimation of meeting inefficiency. To help businesses determine the cost of their meetings, Doodle has introduced a new calculator that considers the impact of various factors on meeting inclusiveness and efficiency.

A key factor in this calculation is the number of participants, with studies showing that smaller meetings, with fewer than fifteen attendees, tend to have higher perceived inclusiveness and efficiency. The Microsoft researchers behind the study found that perceived inclusiveness and efficiency of meetings are strongly correlated.

They even equated individual perceived inclusiveness with overall meeting efficiency, meaning that the number of participants is the most significant factor affecting meeting inclusiveness and efficiency. With more than 90% of respondents rating meetings with two to three people as inclusive, while only a third of participants in meetings with more than fifteen attendees feel included.

Lev Tankelevitch, one of the study's authors, states, "Fewer people don't automatically make a better meeting, but everyone should understand why they are participating." This principle is particularly evident in smaller meetings, where individuals are more likely to engage, leading to greater satisfaction and perceived efficiency.

Some companies have established strict rules for meeting sizes. For instance, Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos has set a rule that no more than eight people should be in a meeting, equivalent to the number of people that can be fed with two pizzas. Similarly, Bayer follows a similar guideline. Nisha Mahendrarajan, from Bayer's core team for meeting culture, emphasizes another crucial principle: "If you cannot contribute to or derive value from a meeting, you are allowed to leave it early."

Many employees were surprised by the potential savings of 124 million euros per year if every employee spent one hour less in meetings weekly. This illustrates the importance of efficient meetings. However, the Meeting Calculator cannot provide an absolute, calculated truth about corporate exchanges. Instead, it offers a scientifically supported perspective: "Has this meeting really been necessary? Or could an email have sufficed?"