What Shopify Got Wrong in The War Against Meetings
I hate meetings as much as the next person.
I average 15 hours of meetings per week and take them in a tiny WeWork phone booth.
I usually have too many to get any meaningful, deep work done.
So I understand why Shopify would try to minimize meeting time.
Time is money, and it should be spent on helping our [customers] succeed and not on unnecessary meetings,” says Shopify CFO Jeff Hoffmeister.
They implemented a “cost calculator” in their employees’ calendar app that shows how much each meeting costs in terms of people time.
The message is loud and clear: Minimize Meetings At All Costs.
But.
I think the narrative that “excess meeting time is bad” misses something crucial. To understand it, we have to consider where many workers are right now mentally in their full-time jobs.
Our Current Environment
Here’s what’s up.
Layoffs are happening across the board, especially in tech, but in other industries too.
Hiring freezes are on. Workers that voluntarily leave aren’t being replaced. There aren’t as many options to move. People feel stuck and overworked in their roles.
Now add remote work. We’re not seeing our colleagues in person. We don’t get the chance to connect, chat, and ask how they’re feeling.
Lots of people are losing sight of the bigger picture.
Why are we doing what we’re doing? What used to make my job fun? What are we trying to achieve, personally and as a company?
Talking to People Fosters Connection
In the initial wake of COVID and remote work, we all lamented the loss of water cooler chit chat.
Years later whether we’re fully remote or hybrid, the reality is that spontaneous connection is still hard to achieve.
In a time when people are feeling stuck, tired, and uninspired, we need connection to each other more than ever.
And guess what.
Meetings are the time to do it.
Meetings = Connection
I know it sucks, but meetings are your best time to connect with other people.
That’s when you find out what’s going on with them.
We had a co-worker pass away from cancer recently and we found out in a meeting. It was a very sad time and we having that 10–20 minutes to bond over our shared grief was necessary and very cathartic.
And while not all meetings can be dedicated to bonding, the first 5–10 minutes of a call are the time to ask people how they are, what’s been on their plate recently, and ask how’re they handling any recent changes at the company.
Trying to cut out this time is absolutely detrimental to the well-being of workers.
Google’s “Share Your Weekend” Practice
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, used to start his weekly Monday staff meeting with a weekend report.
Google leadership knew that getting to know your colleagues as people with lives and families was necessary to people’s happiness and to their productivity.
It’s about getting to know people and allowing time for that.
Deeper Conversations Whenever You Can
I tell my colleagues all the time “I’m going to ask a nosy question…”
That’s how I get connected to them.
- How’re you feeling about [insert recent changes to the company / their team / etc]?
- What’s your outlook on [insert problem]?
- Do you think [new person]’s plan is going to work? Do they seem like they know what’s they’re doing?
- Woah you’ve taken on a ton recently! Did you want to do all that?
There is no better way to feel connected than to share inner details (not necessarily with everyone, but certainly with colleagues you trust) and to have colleagues share their experiences in return.
It makes you feel less alone.
What About Truly “Unnecessary” Meetings?
Not all meetings are needed for connection.
Sometimes people drone on and on. Sometimes there’s no agenda. Too many people were invited and we don’t all need to be there.
That happens and its wasteful.
But instead of cancelling all meetings, we can teach people basic principles of meeting etiquette.
- Propose a meeting re-structure if an existing recurring meeting is wasteful. Meeting notes could be made in advance for example, and only people who are mentioned in the notes need to attend. Everyone else can review notes async.
- Get comfortable with the phrase “That’s an important point, but that’s its own topic and out of scope for this meeting. We can address it another time.”
- …Butts in while someone is talking… “I’m sorry to interrupt you John, but I’m conscious of time and your point is well-taken. Let’s move on to the next item…”
- Point out in advance of the meeting if there’s no agenda. Ask what the goal is and what you’re expected to contribute.
I‘m a Converted Meeting Hater
I have to admit, the reason I’m writing this is because my mentor and work colleague recently gave me a wake up call.
He said “Celia, you need to start coming to daily stand ups.”
“Debo, I can’t, I have conflicts.”
“You need to find a way. Not having you there is becoming inefficient. When you do attend, we need to explain things to you again that we covered before. The team is feeling disconnected. They don’t know why they’re working on what they’re working on. They miss seeing you. They want to feel like you’re still part of the team.”
His points rang so true and filled in a missing piece for me.
No one likes a pointless meeting. No one likes meeting on video.
But we have what we have. And the connection is needed.
If not for the good of the company, or even for the good of our colleagues, then for the good of ourselves.
