Have you ever heard about no meeting day policy? This is a policy regulating a day where meetings are not allowed, so employees can prioritize their personal productivity. No-meeting days can be utilized to focus on a personal project, catch up on emails, or finish a to-do list without interruptions. In a remote-first company, no meeting days are even more effective because they have more control over regular workplace disturbances. 

Interested in implementing a similar policy for your team? 

Benefits of No Meeting Day Policy

Little did leaders know, employees dread meetings. No meeting days can increase workplace happiness, thus creating a convenient workplace where retention rate is high. This policy also has many other benefits, such as:

1 . Better Workflow 

Finding a flow is more difficult some days than others. It will be easier to concentrate when you are not watching the clock for your next meeting. Employees who have had to tear themselves away from work to make it to a meeting on time understand how inconvenient this is. Thus, no meeting day can give employees a better workflow, as their mind will fixate on work instead of having to share it with some meetings.

2 . Cultivating a Problem Solving Culture

Do you know that no meeting day policy cultivates a problem-solving culture among employees? Companies that have too many meetings foster a culture in which employees are unable to make choices without contacting the manager. Upon facing an issue, a typical reaction is to hold a team meeting and discuss it. While this might encourage a collaborative culture, it can also discourage employees from being independent problem solvers. If a company decides to reduce the number of meetings, employees get to be more autonomous, thus cultivating a culture where problem solving becomes their nature.

3 . Better Focus for Employees

The lost time between meetings is one of the most underestimated inconveniences of a busy day. Meetings use a lot of energy mentally. Employees’ energy levels have natural ups and downs, and it is much more difficult to focus when their energy levels are low. There is a natural recovery time before employees may resume working at full efficiency. It is much simpler to focus when there are no meetings to disrupt their day.

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How to Implement No Meeting Day Policy

The purpose of a meeting-free day is to set limits and boost productivity. This is why communication is the most crucial aspect of implementing a no meeting day policy. Employee surveys sent over Slack or email are an excellent place to start. In addition to that, here are some things you need to consider before implementing this policy.

1 . Deciding the Most Suitable No Meeting Day

Among five days of work week, from Monday to Friday, you need to decide one most suitable day for no meeting day. In deciding this, consult all departments in your office to see which day is agreed upon along with its viability. However, if there is no general agreement reached, this policy can be implemented on a smaller scale, such as no meeting day in each department. Rely on data about the time and activities to decide your team’s busiest days. Try to avoid meeting between work cycles so that there are possibilities to address hurdles, make deadline adjustments, and so on. 

2 . Be Productive with Agenda

No meeting day policy is intended to encourage individual issue solving and productivity. However, this policy may have very little influence if the meetings are ineffective in the first place. When the meeting agenda is not present, each attendee will bring their own objectives to the table. Having no agenda can lead to more follow up meetings that give employees more burden and making it much more difficult to implement no meeting day. Thus, prepare an agenda for every meeting, so the direction is clear and the meeting will be productive.

3 . Be Flexible for Urgent Circumstances

While it is good that there is a day where employees do not need to worry about preparing a mental state for meetings, you need to provide flexibility. During peak seasons or when the company is dealing with lots of clients, no meeting day policy may impede communication. Therefore, you need to be flexible for urgent circumstances where there should be a meeting to be held on a day where meetings are supposedly banned. If you still want to ensure that employees will not get a burnout, compensate for this by giving a few days of no meeting once the business operation gets less hectic. 

At the end of the day, the positive outcome of a no meeting day policy is what matters most. Employees should also perceive this policy as something positive that can lead to happiness. Whether or not a no meeting day policy is suitable for your company, there are lots of alternative approaches to address the needs of your company.

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