Work Meetings Are Getting a Makeover
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Why are companies rethinking traditional workplace meetings?
Here's your Money Briefing for Tuesday, February 13th. I'm J.R. Whelan for The Wall Street Journal. A productive workday where you're able to focus on getting a lot done can be upended by meetings. Some are unnecessary. Couldn't this have just been an email? And some are just too long. More companies are testing new strategies and technology to make meetings better.
The companies that we talk to say they've seen everything from more bonding. People are more engaged in these new types of meetings. They're seeing some differences, including even, in some cases, shorter meetings.
We'll talk to Wall Street Journal reporter Ray Smith after the break.
Workplace meetings are getting a makeover. Wall Street Journal reporter Ray Smith joins me. Come on, Ray.
What problems do workers cite about hybrid and in-person meetings?
Everybody loves meetings. Why change them?
Meetings are the bane of a lot of workers' existence, mainly because people feel like this could have been an email or they go on too long. Or there are people in the meetings who take up so much time because they just want to hear their own voices or try to impress their boss. People just feel like they are stuck in meetings constantly. And especially with hybrid meetings, they just feel like it's even more ridiculous. They feel like their time could be better spent in other ways. So they're really hoping that things can get better.
Those hybrid meetings you mentioned, they're part of a new normal that the hybrid schedule is here to stay. And that means a portion of the workforce will be joining meetings via Zoom. So how will technology fit into the post-pandemic workforce?
One way is motion detection cameras. And those cameras would pan to whoever is speaking in the room. You probably have been in one of these meetings where you're the remote person and you're looking in on this group of people in a conference room. And sometimes it's hard to tell who's speaking and you can't really see people because they look really small.
How can motion-detection cameras improve remote participant experience?
So in this case, the camera would pan to whoever is speaking in that room. So you get like a full screen view of them and you know exactly who's talking. I actually got to experience this technology for an interview I was doing for Another Story. The company execs I was talking to had motion detecting cameras in their room. And so whenever one of them was speaking, the camera went to them. And I have to tell you, it made a big difference.
I'll bet it did. It's like having a movie director on hand behind the camera.
Yes, it was really that. It kind of blew my mind because it was just really so different from the experience that I'm used to having.
So how about meetings that aren't with a group, but more like one-on-one meetings? How are those types of scenarios likely to change?
We came across this example of a walk and talk meeting. And walk and talk meetings aren't new per se. We've seen executives and employees walk down the hall and talk for a meeting. But this is new because it takes that concept outdoors.
What was the reporter’s firsthand experience with director-style meeting cameras?
So it's literally like walking out the door, walking out of the office into the streets of New York or into the streets of San Francisco. And the reason why that's significant, well, one of the reasons why that's significant is because the goal is to reduce the amount of time spent looking at or being distracted by screens in a meeting. So you're fully focused, you're in the zone, and you're not just passively sitting in a boardroom or in an office. This extends that appreciation for midday breaks outdoors that many workers, myself included, discovered while working remotely during the pandemic. It's just nice to have that break from being in a sterile sort of indoor environment and taking it outside.
Is there proof that any of these changes you mentioned have been employed and do they actually work?
The companies that we talked to for the story say, for instance, they've seen everything from more bonding, more engagement in meetings. They also claim they've seen breakthrough ideas coming from these as a result. While they're still relatively new and evolving already, these companies are saying they're seeing some differences, including even
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
Why are companies rethinking traditional workplace meetings?
0:02–1:06
2
What problems do workers cite about hybrid and in-person meetings?
1:06–2:13
3
How can motion-detection cameras improve remote participant experience?
2:13–3:11
4
What was the reporter’s firsthand experience with director-style meeting cameras?
3:11–5:31
5
How are one-on-one 'walk and talk' meetings being redesigned outdoors?
5:31–7:22
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