According to a Wall Street Journal article, meetings are 20% shorter, but workers have more of them. Since the pandemic, everyone seems to want to “check in.” We check in on employees we don’t trust, and we want to keep people “in the loop” and engaged.

Managers also check in to convey empathy. We’re told to be caring during transitions, so that means more meetings.

Employees have had it. Even with the time reduction—20 minutes instead of 30, and 50 minutes instead of an hour—a lot of time is spent meeting, which is taking a toll on efficiency.