How hard can it be to book a meeting room? Should be easy, right?
Well, our canine investigator Mabel has been digging up the dirt on the frustrations of folks having a ruff day when trying to find a great space for meetings and events.
In a study by The Harvard Business Review aptly named ‘Stop the meeting madness,’ they unearthed a particularly frustrated interviewee who ‘described stabbing her leg with a pencil to stop from screaming during a particularly torturous staff meeting’.
The study went on to report its findings:
‘65% said meetings keep them from completing their own work.
71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient.
64% said meetings come at the expense of deep thinking.
62% said meetings miss opportunities to bring the team closer together.’
I’m sure you’re reading this and thinking, Yep, I’ve been there.
But imagine Mabel’s horror when she realised that even the practical elements of the meeting (think reliable WiFi, lack of natural light, booking conflicts) could be hugely stressful, adding insult to (pointy pencil) injury.
So, before you reflect on which meetings could have been emails, we wanted to help get the basics right – so you’re not barking up the wrong tree.
The top 5 meeting room frustrations and how to solve them
Scheduling conflicts and lack of space.
Having an in-house meeting space in your offices is great. It saves money and time — BUT not if there are constant scheduling conflicts or the room isn’t big enough to cater for everyone.Solution: Using an external space guarantees space and time. Plus, being out of the office helps your people really focus, being away from their desks. You’ll find they are more motivated, 100% engaged and present. Mabel suggests finding a purpose-built meeting space that is professional and properly equipped with the right tech and catering to support your team. Plus, if they have extra cables, monitors, and recharging stations, it’s a bonus — because someone will forget!
Booking problems.
Once you’ve decided to host your meeting outside the office, you want easy booking and communication to ensure seamless delivery. Computer says no — and there’s no human to call!Solution: If a venue makes it easy to book online, or you can speak to a lovely human and things go smoothly, that’s a good indicator that things will be all good on the day. Plus, if there’s automated invoicing, accounts will be happy, too. A great venue will have a community manager or client services host to handle any additional needs, such as catering and tech set-ups.
Can’t connect.
Nothing sucks the life out of you more than a tech issue. If you can’t connect to the WiFi, hook up the sound, or work the conference call machine, it’s a total waste of time.Solution: Look for a purpose-built meeting room with integrated tech, super-fast WiFi and quality conference facilities. Plus, a human to show you how it all works and get you set up quick smart.
Temperature.
You might consider it an unnecessary point, but the room’s temperature has a huge impact on how people work. You don’t want anyone to be too cold — or nodding off because it’s too hot. Often overlooked, the right temperature can make a huge difference to productivity and performance.Solution: It’s ideal to be able to regulate the room’s temperature yourself so you can ensure it’s the ideal climate at any given time. It’s also good to have windows you can open to provide airflow, stimulating the brain with fresh oxygen.
Uncomfortable seating.
Wriggling, fidgeting and rocking on your chair can distract everyone. But there’s nothing more uncomfortable than a chair that’s been designed to be a pain in the ar*e after a couple of hours.Solution: Firstly, don’t try to shoehorn people into the space. Ensure there’s room to spread out and work effectively. Then check the furniture. Good-quality office furniture is designed to be ergonomic and to breathe with your body, so there’s no awkward sweating or sliding around. IYKYK.
