In a letter to stakeholders published on Monday (7 April), Dimon stated that meetings can negatively impact workforce productivity and engagement.
Where meetings are essential, employees should prepare as much as they can beforehand, and meetings should always start with a set purpose and end with a follow-up list of points, according to Dimon.
His letter suggested frustration with people who use their phones during meetings. He wrote: “I see people in meetings all the time who are getting notifications and personal texts or who are reading emails. This has to stop. It's disrespectful. It wastes time."
In Ranjit Dhindsa's view, head of employment, pensions, immigration and compliance at law firm Fieldfisher, meetings shouldn't be 'killed', but managers should avoid holding pointless meetings.
Dhindsa told HR magazine: “Meetings are essential. Whether virtual or face-to-face, they’re a key part of communication, especially for a business with multiple locations in multiple jurisdictions.
“However, if they are held for the sake of it, meetings become pointless. They need purpose, preparation. For example, all information should be shared ahead of the meeting so people can prepare; and they need a robust agenda. This doesn't mean that the agenda has to be long, it means that it must be effective for that meeting. The most effective meetings are for collaboration, consultation, and feedback.”
Read more: Managers failing on the basics of successful one to ones
Debra Corey, chief pay it forward officer at consultancy Step It Up HR, echoed this, emphasising that meetings should be strategic and effective.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “Like any business tool, meetings need to be used the right way to be effective and productive. Start with making sure that a meeting is indeed the ‘right’ tool; for example, is it the best way to sort out a problem, come up with a solution, have a discussion? If the answer is yes, this really does need a meeting, then it’s time to use the tool properly.”
When planning a meeting, managers should have a clear purpose for the meeting, be ruthless with attendees, create and share an agenda, and create an environment where employees feel safe to speak up and share their opinions, Corey added.
She said: “I don’t believe meetings need to be killed, they just need to be used better. Too often, they’re the go-to default when they should be a strategic choice. Meetings can be powerful when done right. More often than not, they’re overused and misused.”
Managers are also often caught in the middle when it comes to hosting meetings, stated Anna James, analytics lead, at thinktank Asana Work Innovation Lab.
James told HR magazine: "Managers are caught in the middle, trying to align with top-down strategy while supporting bottom-up execution, resulting in meeting overload. Without strong asynchronous systems, hybrid work has triggered a culture where managers overcompensate for reduced face-to-face interaction by scheduling more meetings, pulling in individual contributors and disrupting their deep work."
Read more: Long meetings impacting worker productivity
Traditional meetings can sometimes be substituted for other forms of communication, according to Ian Miell, partner at software development firm Container Solutions.
He told HR magazine: “The old joke is 'this meeting could have been an email'. Part of training should be distinguishing with clear guidelines what needs a meeting and what could be done through culturally appropriate asynchronous communication via tools like email, Slack or even one-on-one conversations.
“It is very important to level-set the organisation with basic meeting hygiene. The best way to do this is to ensure everyone is trained, especially the more senior members of staff that run meetings. Leaders must then reinforce the basic training on a day-to-day basis as meetings are conducted. When taking over Tesco, Terry Leahy mandated meeting training for all staff.”
Steve Frost, CEO of employee survey provider Workbuzz, added that leaders should always protect their time and well as their team's time.
He told HR magazine: "Meetings should be used to make decisions, not share updates.
"Great managers define success before the meeting begins, invite only essential stakeholders, and lead with presence, which means no multitasking, and no distractions."
