A survey by Sennheiser Communications reveals that the average British worker will sit through 6,240 meetings in their career, a survey has revealed.Researchers found the huge figure is made up of endless internal catch-ups, client meetings and lengthy appraisals with the boss. Of the 2000 workers studied, six in 10 respondents said their boss likes holding a meeting for the sake of it and said most of them are ‘pretty pointless’.
In fact, the poll found that 70 per cent of employees said they constantly zone out whilst in meetings with the average worker switching off by twenty minutes in. So it’s hardly surprising that nearly one in five of those studied confess to messing something up due to not paying attention in a meeting. And more than one in ten said they constantly make 
mistakes from not listening and over a quarter said they have made more than ten monumental clangers from ‘zoning out’.
Pointless meetings: 4.27meetings a week x 52 weeks a year = 222, multiplied by 40 years working (approx. age 20 to 60) = 8880 meetings
Charlotte Gaskin, Marketing Manager at Sennheiser Communications said: “There is nothing worse than being sat in a meeting that doesn’t really concern you. So it’s not surprising then that so many people zone out, nod off or doodle. Of the respondents we polled, many said that often a quick and concise conference call was more effective than a lengthy meeting which often resulted in expensive travel expenses.”
The poll showed one in five employees has nodded off in a meeting at some point in their career, with the typical person dozing off for two minutes. For a quarter of those their colleagues saw the funny side although 18 per cent experienced the wrath of their boss after catching forty winks. One in ten was so relaxed they either dribbled or snored. Of the 2000 polled, nearly a quarter said they tend to drift off if the meeting is first thing in the morning. But in contrast a third said they switch-off if the meeting is too late in the day.
Two thirds said if the meeting isn’t relevant to them they gradually become less interested. In fact 31 per cent said they often think about what they are having for dinner that night and 16 per cent think about what they’re going to watch on TV when they get home. Nearly half spend their time doodling on a notepad, whereas 29 per cent prefer to stare aimlessly out of a window.
More than half of the employees surveyed said they think their team members sneakily arrange offsite meetings purely so they can spend time out of the office and skive off. And 45 per cent feel that their company wastes money on train tickets and air fares for people to travel to and from meetings. Typically the average worker spends £146.40 every time they attend an offsite meeting, but that is the tip of the iceberg as 37 per cent said they then fiddle their expenses anyway.
The furthest the average worker has to travel is 218 miles for meetings, despite the fact that 65 per cent say they often have a ‘wasted trip.’ More than half said a conference call would often be just as efficient as a face to face meeting. Charlotte Gaskin added: “Taking time out of your day to attend an offsite meeting when you know your input is not required or ignored is a huge inconvenience. Many companies have a number of offices around the country and even the world, so internal meetings can be a logistical nightmare. It is worth considering the expense of travel, food and drink and overnight stays to determine whether a face to face meeting is really necessary.Technology like conference calling, video calling and instant messaging mean clear, concise conversations can take place in a number of different offices anywhere around the world, thus cutting down on big expense bills.”
The study of 2000 office workers showed that over the course of a 40 year career the typical employee gets through 10,391 cups of cold coffee, accompanied by 8,257 biscuits. Chocolate digestives are the top choice. The survey revealed a crafty 16 per cent of workers only attend meetings for the chance of getting posh coffee and biscuits.
MOST COMMON THINGS TO DO IN A WORK MEETING
- Doodle on a notepad
- Daydream about plans for the weekend
- Plan what you are having for dinner that night
- Stare aimlessly out of the window
- Exchange glances with your colleagues
- Think about what you’re going to watch on telly that night
- Think about how much you hate your job
- Scroll through your newsfeed on Twitter or Facebook pretending to check your work emails
- Text friends or family making out you are texting a colleague
- Write a shopping list
