Business meetings - most employees dread them, yet they are an essential part of the business world. Many expected that technological advances like videocalling or teleconferencing would to improve the situation, but the truth is that the average office worker still spends too much of their time in meetings, which are considered the biggest time wasters of office life. Recent statistics show that the average US worker still spends more than 5 hours a week in meetings, plus another 4 hours preparing for them. In the case of managers, the figures go up to 12 hours a week.

The problem isn’t only that we spend too much time in meetings, but also that they’re not effective. One of the main reasons why meetings are disliked is because they are generally perceived as unproductive. And this is more than just an opinion, as there is a wealth of data that confirms that most businesses aren’t maximizing the time allocated to meetings:  37 percent of business meetings are labeled as unproductive, and nearly 40 percent of employees admit to having dozed off during a meeting.

So why are your business meetings unproductive? In this article we explore the top 6 reasons, as well as what can you do to change that.

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Small businesses are an essential part of the UK’s economy: in 2018, there were more than 5.5 million SMEs across the country, which accounted for over 99 per cent of private sector companies. On the whole, the UK is considered one of the leading business ecosystems in Europe, and hundreds of thousands of new companies are established every year.

More encouraging statistics come from the data released in early 2019, which listed the UK as one of the best countries to start a business in when factoring ease of start up procedures and tax structure. If you are considering setting up a business in the UK, read through this guide to find out how to get started and turn your idea into a successful reality.

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It’s no secret that employee morale is important to the overall success of a business. A positive and healthy work atmosphere is not only more pleasant, but also can have a direct effect on performance, productivity, and ultimately on your business bottom line.

There are many reasons why good employee morale is important in the business context: First, it can help improve employee retention and reduce turnover levels. This is especially important in industry sectors or geographic areas where there are talent shortages. Linked to this, good morale has been linked to lower absenteeism levels. Third, these two factors have a direct impact on business performance and productivity, which is especially noticeable in small businesses. And fourth, high morale does impact customer satisfaction and helps build a stronger business reputation.

Many firms offer financial rewards to boost employee morale, but does this approach always work? The problem with financial incentives like stock options and annual bonuses is that they fail to generate genuine interest and engagement in work. Employees can be fairly compensated and still feel disengaged. This is not to say financial rewards should be scrapped, but rather complemented with other ways of boosting staff morale, such as the ones described below.

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