How much do unnecessary meetings cost?

Formula: attendees × hourly rate × duration × frequency × 52. A 12-person team at $50/hr meeting 3×/week = $93,600/year.

How to calculate meeting cost per hour?

Attendees × duration = person-hours. × hourly rate = cost. Example: 8 people × 1.5 hrs = 12 person-hours. × $75 = $900.

Information delivery, simple decisions, updates, one-way communication—no real-time collaboration needed.

Require agendas 24hrs ahead. Default 25/50min. Async updates. Cancel if no agenda. Stand-ups 15min max.

Studies: 30-50% of meetings are unnecessary. Execs spend 23 hrs/week in meetings. 71% consider many unproductive.

Clear agenda beforehand. Time-boxed. Decision-maker assigned. Action items with owners. Minutes within 24hrs.

Loading The Meeting That Should've Been an Email (Cost Analysis)

I calculated the true cost of unnecessary meetings: $47,000/year for our 12-person team. Here's the math and how to fix it.

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