Kids Who Watch Too Much TV Have Terrible Temperaments
Regular meetings, quick huddles, negotiation sessions, wrap-ups... Meetings are the most common occurrence in the workplace. "Meetings for things that need meetings, meetings for things that don't need meetings, meetings upon meetings—how could we not have meetings..." White-collar workers joke about it this way.Recently, a human resources website released a survey on "Workplace Meeting Conditions," revealing that nearly 80% of professionals admit two-thirds of meetings are a waste of time.
Another survey shows over 50% of workers zone out during meetings, while nearly 60% fail to prepare beforehand. Human resources experts advise attendees to focus on gaining information that benefits their professional growth, urging them not to "permanently sit in the back row due to personal resentment."
Workplace Meetings: Frequent, Long, and Pointless
The survey reveals nearly half of professionals feel they attend too many meetings. This is especially prevalent in customer service, finance, accounting, auditing, statistics, editing, copywriting, media, film/TV, and journalism—fields most "representative" of this issue.
"We have plenty of formal meetings, but many lack real substance—I'm not a fan," remarked Xiao Ou, an auditor at a Guangzhou government agency, expressing frustration with her workplace's endless meetings: quarterly analysis sessions, mid-year reviews, year-end strategy retreats... While meetings should facilitate progress updates, employee motivation, and creative brainstorming, their purpose has become distorted."My previous workplace was straightforward—purely internal meetings... Now, the scale and content have changed, like a bound foot's tight bandage—long and stinky," Xiao Ou remarked.
During interviews, most professionals shared this common question: With so many meetings, is this time well spent? "I'd say only 30% of the meetings I attend have meaningful content."" Mr. Wang, who participated in this "Workplace Meeting Conditions" survey, unhesitatingly checked the "30%" option.
However, overall survey statistics show that selecting this option is already considered "conservative." Nearly 80% of professionals believe that less than one-third of the meetings they attend contain meaningful content. "If we understood why meetings are held, we wouldn't waste everyone's time.Meetings vary in length, but some leaders will say near the end, 'Let me add a few words,' and typically, the meeting gets extended another half hour just for those two sentences," said Ms. Yuan, a white-collar worker interviewed.
Protesting Boredom Meetings by Zoning Out
"Boring meetings just sap your energy. Every time I attend one, I only show up to 'make an appearance' and call it a day.During interviews, many professionals admitted that "hollow" meetings only make them more "going through the motions" in their participation.
"For business exchange meetings, I might selectively take notes, but I'm generally uninterested in other meeting content. I usually sit in the back row chatting with a few close colleagues or browse the internet on my phone. In big meetings, everyone just does their own thing," said Xiao Huang, who graduated a year ago and works at an electronics customer service group.
Surveys reveal that attendees like Xiao Huang who "zone out" during meetings are far from rare: while 60% of professionals claim to take notes, 50.3% admit to daydreaming during meetings, 42.2% doodle in their notebooks, and 23.4% play with their phones.