What makes a weekly work meeting worth your time?

[MrRockliffe]

Hi all

Like many of you I'm sure, I have weekly meetings with my team to discuss blockers/progress/updates on our respective business areas.


However, I'm getting the feeling that people don't find it worth their time - any opportunity to cut it short/cancel it is taken, which I do understand. I think it needs a revamp, so we're not running a meeting for the sake of having one.



So my question to you is, what has worked for your team? Was there anything you started/stopped doing which made it more interesting? What would you want to see your meeting structured like?




For context, it's a sales-based team, working in a single segment but different routes to market/client types, so we all share similar interests in the product/area.



Cheers

 

[MrRockliffe]

I have a similar fortnightly meeting, frankly nothing is done or said that couldn't be done in a teams meeting. Sadly for me, I think they're pointless because they are.

Maybe first work out if it really needs to be done rather than trying to fix it.

It's easy to argue either side.

The point I've made with the team boss, which he agrees with, is that it's good to have regular catch ups with your team when working remote.


For example, in a team of 10, I've actually only met a single person, in-person.


We've tried the approach of just getting people to post updates/requests in our chat, but people just don't do it - this gives me the impression they're becoming detached from the team, as over time, the interaction levels drop quite quickly and significantly.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Why can't this be done in a face to face Video chat / Teams / Zoom meeting though.
What benefit is there from communicating the same thing to myself or management that required a 30min drive, getting up earlier. Paying for lunch and parking etc.

My position could be entirely different but unless I physically need to be teaching someone with physical objects, then I think it can be done online..

Hate to put it to you but most people (imo of course) couldn't give a rats ass about their fellow employees. Just get the work done as efficiently and as cheaply as possible.

Sorry maybe I didn’t make it clear but it is being done via video chat. My time are based in 8 different countries so it would be impossible to do it face to face regularly

To quote your last point though, we’re culturally VERY different to every other company I’ve worked at - people want to interact with others, they just want it to be worth their time is all.