4 ms·

Alternatively you can have only standing meetings. That usually helps reduce wasted time and stay succinct and effective from my experience.

sdoering 7y ago
I once worked for a team that dropped that practice to not force lesser bodily abled to acknowledge that they have a problem.
- SkyBelow 7y ago
  The 'they have a problem' might need to be expanded upon. Are we talking health issues related to weight, age, pregnancy, or other factors? Some of those are illegal to discriminate upon.
cbanek 7y ago
I wish I could say that was my experience. I had a daily scrum meeting for about a year that had at least 15 people, and everyone would take their turn to talk about each post-it note on the board. After standing for about half an hour, it gets really old. Nobody cared what anyone else was saying other than the one manager. When we tried to break it up, the manager said it was more efficient if we were all there at the same time. It might have even been true - for him.
- mamon 7y ago
  Just think of such meeting as a paid break: check your phone for emails, catch up with Facebook friends, order some things from Amazon, or just let your mind wander. This way no meeting would be "a waste of time" :) Personally, I've been working as contractor/consultant for the last 8 years, getting paid by the hour worked, so I grew to like those pointless meetings, because they simply are easy money: they count as work, but require almost no effort on my side.
  - SkyBelow 7y ago
    >Just think of such meeting as a paid break If you are paid salary and having to work any overtime, then it is likely taking up productive time and resulting in more unpaid overtime. If you are hourly, then I think that mentality works fine. I wonder if the different incentives every cause a problem in work places with both types of workers.
  - cbanek 7y ago
    I think you discount the social signaling that goes on at these daily meetings, which I swear is the point of most of them. If you're not paying attention, bosses will think less of you. So not only do you have to pretend to pay attention they love when you ask lots of gotcha questions to the person trying to give status. Anything to look smart.
chrisdhoover 7y ago
A standing meeting is one that recurs on schedule. A standup meeting is one where participants stand

sdoering 7y ago

I once worked for a team that dropped that practice to not force lesser bodily abled to acknowledge that they have a problem.

SkyBelow 7y ago
The 'they have a problem' might need to be expanded upon. Are we talking health issues related to weight, age, pregnancy, or other factors? Some of those are illegal to discriminate upon.

cbanek 7y ago

I wish I could say that was my experience. I had a daily scrum meeting for about a year that had at least 15 people, and everyone would take their turn to talk about each post-it note on the board. After standing for about half an hour, it gets really old. Nobody cared what anyone else was saying other than the one manager. When we tried to break it up, the manager said it was more efficient if we were all there at the same time. It might have even been true - for him.

mamon 7y ago
Just think of such meeting as a paid break: check your phone for emails, catch up with Facebook friends, order some things from Amazon, or just let your mind wander. This way no meeting would be "a waste of time" :) Personally, I've been working as contractor/consultant for the last 8 years, getting paid by the hour worked, so I grew to like those pointless meetings, because they simply are easy money: they count as work, but require almost no effort on my side.
- SkyBelow 7y ago
  >Just think of such meeting as a paid break If you are paid salary and having to work any overtime, then it is likely taking up productive time and resulting in more unpaid overtime. If you are hourly, then I think that mentality works fine. I wonder if the different incentives every cause a problem in work places with both types of workers.
- cbanek 7y ago
  I think you discount the social signaling that goes on at these daily meetings, which I swear is the point of most of them. If you're not paying attention, bosses will think less of you. So not only do you have to pretend to pay attention they love when you ask lots of gotcha questions to the person trying to give status. Anything to look smart.

chrisdhoover 7y ago

A standing meeting is one that recurs on schedule. A standup meeting is one where participants stand