开会是否有意义英语美文

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STAFF DOUBT VALUE OF MEETINGS

By Ruth Sullivan in London

Eight out of 10 employees say at least half of their corporate meetings are unproductive and waste valuable working hours.

A new international survey of 2,000 workers in 13 countries by Robert Walters, the recruitment group, questions why so many meetings are set up.

While meetings have an “essential” role in business, with executives typically attending two or three a day, Susan Major, the company’s human resources recruitment director, agrees they are pointless if “nothing comes out” of them.

Sectors surveyed by web poll included accounting, finance, banking, IT legal, sales and marketing, and human resources. The findings come at a time when employees in many countries are trying to achieve a better balance between their work and personal lives.

Cultural differences also emerge in employee attitudes. South Africans led the list of workers who found meetings the least productive, with 83 per cent stating they did not achieve work goals. They were closely followed by the US, Hong Kong and Singapore.

In Japan, where doing business often involves large meetings, 61 per cent of employees found at least half their meetings ineffective. Ireland and Luxembourg were closest to the Japanese view.

Robert Walters suggests good agenda planning and preparation can reduce employee frustration. So can cutting the number of participants, training those who lead meetings, and banning mobile phones and Black-Berrys to help keep participants focused.

Clear evaluation of the discussion at the end of the meeting is essential.

Full list of countries that think meetings are not useful

South Africa 83.67%

USA: 81.82%

Hong Kong: 81.71%

Singapore: 81.41%

Australia: 79.74%

Belgium: 79.61%

Netherlands: 78.70%

France: 78.69%

UK: 78.62%

New Zealand: 77.50%