Last Updated on January 29, 2023 by Editors Desk
Anyone who has worked in an office knows the feeling of being trapped at your desk by co-workers you don’t particularly like. Even if you aren’t an introvert, spending extended periods of time around the same people can make it difficult to stay focused and happy. In order to increase productivity and cut down on office headaches, some companies have started incorporating mandatory team meetings into their workday structure.
But are these meetings as beneficial as they seem? Many employees dread mandatory team meetings because they create a false sense of obligation and create a negative work vibe. In this post, we will examine why mandatory team meetings are ineffective at motivating employees, explore possible solutions to improve employee motivation and share ideas for making the most out of these sessions instead.
What is motivation?
Motivation is the desire to perform a task or any type of activity. In other words, it is the force that propels humans to take action. Company culture and team dynamics are critical factors in workplace motivation. If you don’t enhance the desire to contribute to the company, you may end up with employees who are simply there for a paycheck. Motivation is key to being productive at work and staying focused on your job. It can also help reduce absenteeism and improve retention rates. Motivating your employees can help reduce turnover and increase employee morale.
Team Meetings Are Usually Unproductive
Team meetings are often used as a primary method of communication in organizations. While they may be beneficial at the start of a new project or during a transition period, their usefulness quickly expires. A study by RewardWorks found that at least 75% of meetings are totally unnecessary. In fact, meetings often cause more harm than good because they consume time and resources without producing any tangible results. This makes it even more important to find ways to make these meetings more productive.
3 reasons why team meetings are ineffective
- False obligation – One of the biggest problems with team meetings is that they create a false sense of obligation. When you force employees to attend team meetings, you create the expectation that they will contribute their ideas, share their observations and offer constructive feedback. This is rarely the case. Instead, you end up with a bunch of people who feel like they have to attend an optional meeting.
- Blaming – Another, even more, common reason why team meetings aren’t effective is that they create a blame-oriented culture. When people are required to sit in a room and listen to each other talk about their failures, they begin to see themselves (and their work) in a negative way. This creates a negative work environment that is nearly impossible to eradicate.
- No efficiency – Business meetings are expensive. Not only are they time-consuming, they also incur costs such as travel, food and office supplies. A study by the U.S. Federal Government Accountability Office found that on average, meetings cost American organizations $1000 per hour. That’s $6.5 billion per year!
Add Games to Boost Employee Motivation
You might be wondering why you would spend time designing team-building exercises, games and activities if they don’t actually motivate people. The truth is that these activities do more than just create a fun work environment – they also help boost employee motivation. For instance, team-building games can be used to demonstrate the value of collaboration and communication.
For instance, if your company is developing a new product, you can use games to explain how the product works, how it will benefit customers and how your team helped design it. Similarly, games can be used to educate your employees about management and leadership. If you’re a large company, you might consider creating a management game where employees learn about the basic principles of leadership (e.g. delegation, coaching, incentives, etc.).
Using games to boost motivation is an effective and cheap solution to improving employee motivation. You don’t need to change your company culture; you just need to find ways to incorporate game concepts into your team activities.
Build a Friendlier Culture to Increase Employee Morale
While team-building exercises and games are effective at boosting employee motivation and improving teamwork, they don’t address the real issues that are causing employees to feel disengaged. There are many ways to boost employee morale and create a more positive work environment, but one of the best ways is to build a more friendly culture. A friendly work culture is one in which employees feel valued, accepted and safe to express their ideas and opinions.
When employees are happy and motivated, they are more likely to be productive and satisfied with their job. How do you create a more friendly work culture? While we can’t provide a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem, we can offer some ideas to help boost employee morale.
- Encourage open dialogue – One of the best ways to create a more friendly work culture is to encourage open dialogue. When employees feel comfortable admitting their weaknesses and sharing their ideas freely, they begin to understand that they don’t have to be afraid to speak up.
- Create a safe space – When employees feel accepted and valued, they are more likely to be open to new ideas and creative suggestions.
- Improved training – Lastly, it’s important to remember that training is more than just a way to train your employees on job duties. It can be used as a way to boost employee morale and create a more friendly work culture.
Conclusion
Team meetings are designed to help employees communicate and collaborate. However, they can cause unnecessary stress, frustration and conflict when they are not effectively used. If you find yourself dreading these types of meetings, consider trying some of these ways to improve team-building.
