Unbearable Meetings

A recent Inc.com article shares study findings on why meetings are just so darn unbearable!

A new "Ouch Point" study by Opinion Research USA measured the tolerance thresholds of U.S. workers at business meetings. Topping the list as the biggest frustration for meeting attendees?

Disorganization.
The study polled 1,037 workers, and 27% ranked disorganized, rambling meetings as the top frustration.

Other findings...

• 17% said they were annoyed by peers who interrupt and try to dominate meetings
• 9% said they were bothered by co-workers nodding off
• Only 5% said they were frustrated by BlackBerry-checking email hounds
• 16% cited cell-phone interruptions
• 6% found meetings without refreshments more annoying than the BlackBerry button-pushers.
• 8% found meetings without bathroom breaks unbearable
• 5% were distracted by people leaving the meeting early or arriving late.
• 4% of respondents said they were most frustrated by meetings that start late and those that end without distributing a written recap.

"If you're asking somebody to participate in a meeting, it has to be, from their perception, worth it to invest the time," said Jeff Resnick, president of Opinion Research USA. "If you are someone calling the meeting, organize it, control everyone during the meeting, and make sure the people there aren't wasting their time."

In time-compressed work environments, where so much focus is placed on productivity, "time spent in meetings that's not considered productive is certainly not helpful."

Amen, brother.