When should we hold a meeting?

Here’s an amusing one from the BBC. I don’t mean to knock business meetings, which are often essential (though sometimes badly managed). What’s interesting is the research that claims to have found the ideal time for holding a meeting. Apparently, it is 3pm on a Tuesday. Why?

Well, first thing on a Monday is a bit too intense. Too late in the afternoon and people are itching to be off. 3pm is when the day is well under way, and many staff are better able to take the change of pace and focus that a meeting can bring. The study describes it as “representing a confluence of employee availability, motivation and willingness”.

There seems also to be a broad acceptance that people like to reserve mornings for their own tasks. They will work over lunchtime, but too soon afterwards and there is a bit of a dip in energy levels. Some firms schedule collaboration and team work for that slot, when a burst of interaction can keep people alert. The risk of napping will rise if the meeting involves sitting in a darkened room watching a presentation!

3pm marks coffee break time, a good opportunity to get people together. As for which day to choose, the research says there is a trend for meetings to be held in the first half of the week, in part because staff given the opportunity to work from home often do so on a Friday.

Do we need so many meetings? It might be good in an organisation infused with a democratic style of management, but can it go too far? Are some organisations unable to make decisions without endless rounds of meetings?