Your Office Meeting Is Killing You, Literally. Here’s What You Can Do About It.

Last week, I clocked 38 hours in meetings. As I sunk into my sofa for a long weekend of MBA paper writing, I thought about how long I had sat that week. As educational leaders, we’ve built a culture fixated on meetings. They’re everywhere. For those who are not in education, here is a non-exhaustive list of some of the meetings an educator might attend in a week:

Some of these meetings, such as safeguarding meetings, are undoubtedly non-negotiable for schools. However, for many, we need to ask: Was this meeting worth it?

Dr. Steven G. Rogelberg, Professor of Organizational Science and Management at UNC Charlotte, states that meetings should spark creativity and innovation and enable team members to engage deeply with ideas (Otter.ai & Rogelberg, 2022). However, school meetings are often rushed and ineffectual. This issue isn’t limited to education; it’s a global phenomenon in white-collar work. Research shows that today’s workers spend nearly double the time in meetings than five years ago, leaving little room for uninterrupted, focused work (Thompson, 2024).

How Meetings Are Killing Us — Literally

Aside from draining productivity, sitting through meetings is bad for our health. Prolonged sitting is linked to higher risks of heart disease and cancer (Chau et al., 2013; Simon, 2018). As grade levels increase, teachers and educational leaders often sit more. Research on educators’ sitting habits highlights the work’s sedentary nature, especially in administrative tasks like grading and planning (Kreuzfeld et al., 2022). Sitting for more than eight hours daily increases the likelihood of premature death by 20–30%, even when accounting for regular physical activity (Chau et al., 2013). Sitting impacts shoulders, hips, and lower back, leading to chronic pain and osteoarthritis (Dzakpasu et al., 2021).

The Figurative Impact: Killing Productivity in the Workplace

Without a focused agenda, meetings quickly become endless loops of to-do lists and unnecessary discussions, leaving educators mentally exhausted and less creative (Thompson, 2024). Globalization intensifies this issue, as educators are often pulled into after-hours video calls to accommodate different time zones. Unsurprisingly, productivity suffers when more energy is spent juggling calendars than making meaningful progress.

The cost of meetings extends beyond productivity and health to actual dollar amounts. According to Rogelberg (2022), companies spend an average of $80,000 per employee annually on unnecessary meetings. For example, the Harvard Business Review’s Meeting Cost Calculator shows that an hour-long meeting with eight attendees can easily cost over $500 USD. That’s a hefty price tag for something that may not always deliver results.

The cost of a meeting

Mitigating the Health Risks of Prolonged Sitting

To counter the physical damage of sitting, I learned simple but effective exercises from Coach Mariusz, a professional ACE-certified trainer who helped me regain mobility after two surgeries. A few stretches, done consistently, can alleviate the toll of prolonged sitting:

• Pigeon Pose: Loosens tight hip muscles caused by sitting.
• Hip Flexor Stretch: Improves posture by lengthening muscles shortened by sitting.
• Hamstring Stretch: Relieves tension in the lower back and pelvis.
• Regular movement, such as performing a few squats, standing, or walking for five minutes every hour, helps prevent the long-term risks of sitting.

Take a Hike for Ideas Worth Spreading

How to Mitigate the Drain of Meetings

To boost productivity, there are practical steps leaders can take to reclaim time. Richard Branson captures it perfectly:

“If everybody just stands up, it’s amazing how much quicker decisions are made and how much more inspired people feel to get things done” (Branson, 2016).

A great example of this in action comes from Kate Grant, the Primary Principal at ISHCMC, who reimagined check-in meetings by turning them into brisk walks around the field. These important meetings, with predetermined questions tied to guiding principles, allow her to gather data informally while staying active and engaged.

Walking Conversation Protocol by Kate Grant (ISHCMC Primary Principal)

Here are eight suggestions for educational leaders to help them avoid death by meetings:

• Reduce the number of people: Only include essential attendees. Who truly needs to be there?
• Create an agenda: Focus on questions to guide discussion, not just sharing info.
• Walk it out: Integrate purposeful movement to keep energy high.
• Stand up: Use standing meetings to speed decisions.
• Dive deep: Encourage curiosity and co-create solutions through detailed discussions.
• Go analog: Minimize distractions by limiting digital devices.
• Create time for no meetings: Schedule “no meeting” blocks for deep work.
• Calculate the cost: Use tools to assess the financial impact of meetings.

Educational leaders have a unique opportunity to reshape meeting norms and create a healthier, more effective workplace. By reimagining how we balance physical well-being and productivity, we can reduce endless meetings and break the habit of prolonged sitting. This approach promotes healthier routines, sparks creativity, and increases productivity. By transforming meeting culture to include more intentional discussions and active movement, we build a more energized and focused workforce that thrives.

References and Further Reading

Branson, R. (2016, June 22). Why you should stand for meetings. Virgin. https://www.virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson-blog/why-you-should-stand-meetings

Chau, J. Y., Grunseit, A. C., Chey, T., Stamatakis, E., Brown, W. J., Matthews, C. E., Bauman, A. E., & van der Ploeg, H. P. (2013). Daily sitting time and all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 8(11), e80000. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080000

Dzakpasu, F. Q. S., Carver, A., Brakenridge, C. J., & et al. (2021). Musculoskeletal pain and sedentary behaviour in occupational and non-occupational settings: A systematic review with meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(159). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01191-y

Harvard Business Review. (2015). Meeting cost calculator. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/resources/html/infographics/2015/11/meeting-cost-calculator/index.html

Healthline Editorial Team. (2023, September 29). Stretches to do at work every day (G. Minnis, Medically reviewed). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com

Kreuzfeld, S., Felsing, C., & Seibt, R. (2022). Teachers’ working time as a risk factor for their mental health — Findings from a cross-sectional study at German upper-level secondary schools. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 307. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12680-5

Mariusz Athletix. (n.d.). Mariusz Athletix. https://mariuszathletix.com/

Metz, T. (n.d.). How to calculate and reduce meeting cost + free calculators. Parabol. https://www.parabol.co/blog/meeting-cost-calculation/

Otter.ai, & Rogelberg, S. G. (2022). The cost of unnecessary meeting attendance. Otter.ai. https://otter.ai/business

Simon, S. (2018, June 29). Sitting time linked to higher risk of death from all causes. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/research/acs-research-news/sitting-time-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death-from-all-causes.html

Thompson, D. (2024, July 9). White-collar work is just meetings now. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/07/white-collar-meetings-more-frequent/678941/