The Importance of In-Person Meetings on Business Growth and Efficiency

We get it! It’s tempting to hop on a Zoom call or schedule a Google Meet for your next office meeting. While there’s no doubt that virtual meetings are more convenient when it comes to time, however, there is ample research to show they don’t do much to promote productivity or efficiency for the business. 

Whether your staff work from a highly effective flexspace or they are still primarily working from home or in-office, it is important to give your staff time face-to-face. From new-hire interviews to team and department meetings, in-person is the way to go when growing your business, building professional relationships, and streamlining processes.

Promotes Efficiency

In a workplace study analyzed by the Washington Post, it was found “that the most valuable communication is done in-person, and that typically 35 percent of the variation in a given team’s performance was explained by the number of times team members actually spoke face-to-face.”

True team collaboration happens in-person, where staff members can communicate one-on-one and without the roadblocks of talking through a screen. In addition, employees are sufficiently pressured to pay closer attention while meeting in person. 

When meeting in person, individuals aren’t able to just sit back and passively listen as they can with virtual calls. While the hybrid work model and flexspaces are already making your business efficient, it is important to ensure your workflows are also promoting productivity.

Builds Relationships 

Have you ever heard that it is hard to relay emotions through writing? Well, the same goes for virtual meetings, where the nuances of human communication are easily lost. For example, how are you supposed to know that Suzy is antsy to share her ideas with the team if you can’t read her body language? How do you know if John is uncomfortable if you can’t see him fidgeting with his pencil? 

Before you call a meeting, ask yourself if the goal of the meeting is to build relationships and brainstorm or if the goal is to just delegate tasks to your staff. As reported by the Harvard Business Review, “Relationship-based goals, which involve strengthening or repairing connections among team members, are usually accomplished most effectively in person.” 

Therefore, if you can quickly accomplish the goal by sending an email, by all means, send that email. However, fostering a healthy workplace culture requires in-person contact. You can’t expect your staff to effectively bond with you or each other through an email or a Zoom call.

For more information about establishing a healthy work environment, check out our article: How to Build a Positive Workplace Culture in a Hybrid Work Model! 

Let’s Meet! 

Here at Catalyst Kanata, we would like to invite you to an in-person meeting to observe our flexspace facilities. A member of our team would also be happy to elaborate on the importance of in-person meetings and face-to-face collaboration between staff members. 

Do you already have an upcoming meeting that you would like to be in person? Need an innovative and technologically-advanced space to host this meeting? Check out our array of Meeting Room options and Book a Room today! 

Remember, your staff will get more from your meeting and feel closer than ever to their coworkers if you facilitate a face-to-face gathering.