Meaningful communication is an important key feature in the success of a business or an organization. To a very great extent, a business’s success depends on how well the employees and employer(s) can relate, hence the need for clear communication. Running a business involves the organization making new decisions, setting targets that could be monthly or annual, formulating and implementing new policies that will help in goal achievement, and this requires the involvement and cooperation of the employees. Instead of this, the importance of staff meetings in every organization cannot be overlooked.
A staff meeting is a gathering or assembly where employees(staff members) of an organization assemble to discuss the business’s running and success issues. A staff meeting can be held for different reasons and at different schedules. Some of the reasons for calling staff meeting include:
- To discuss a firm agenda.
- To discuss an important issue.
- To address an emergency.
Staff meetings are crucial to successful running as employees are briefed and motivated to be more productive during such assembly. It serves as a great platform where profitable ideas can be aired. For instance, a day-care school has to manage children between the age range of 1-2 years. To do so successfully, the staff needs to be adequately prepared and well informed, and a staff meeting is the best way for this to be achieved. A staff meeting is a great opportunity to cause feedbacks and also ensure staff accountability. Other subjects that might be discussed in a staff meeting include:
- Recognitions
- Updates on departments
- Announcement of new employees
- Salary or Wages announcement
- Progress updates
- New policies
- Upcoming events
- Updates on new procedures
- Updates on new strategies
- Updates on new projects and clients
The assembly of co-workers and managers or business owners is an opportunity to build and strengthen interpersonal relationships, which can further advance teamwork and minimize miscommunication and misunderstanding between staff. The inclusion of employees in discussions and decisions on a certain issue is a great way to boost their morale and motivation. However, it is also important to note that staff meetings can easily be boring if not properly planned and managed. Therefore, the following measures should be put in place to foster a successful meeting; these measures include;
- There should be an agenda with topics to be discussed clearly stated
- Having a Moderator
- An interactive session to encourage participation from all
- Not allowing interruption from any individual or party.
- Ensuring all participants are on the same page
- Requesting for minutes of the meeting to save time
Having planned meetings regularly between staff helps plan purposes. It’s an opportunity to study ideas and have meaningful group discussions to benefit and grow. Staff meetings are undoubtedly a productive tool for making salient decisions and play significant roles in any business or organization’s successful running. Hence they should be encouraged by business owners. A staff meeting is one of the pre-requisites running and owning a successful business, hence in this light. We’re going to examine some of the importance of staff meetings to businesses.
Importance of Staff Meeting
Employees and Employers sometimes see staff meetings as a time-waster, but in the real sense of view, staff meetings are useful in diverse ways to businesses and organizations. Having regular meetings between members of staff has a great positive impact on businesses. Staff meetings are not only beneficial to the business but also the employees. Some of the importance of staff meeting include:
- It serves as a tool for resolving the organization’s problems: Every organization encounters problems running its business. These issues can range from financial problems to logistics. It could be within the staff or between clients and staff. It could also go beyond the aforementioned issues. However, whichever the case may be, staff meetings serve as a tool where these issues can be resolved through meaningful conversations. It is a place where ideas can be brainstormed and solutions proffered. Just like the saying “A problem shared is half solved,” sharing the problems that can hinder the progress of a business within staffs can help in the fast resolution as ideas will be shared by the members of staffs to the management body, and this could lead to the end of such issue thus keeping the business moving.
- Staff alignment is ensured: The success of all businesses to a huge extent depends on its staff’s functionality. Staffs need to be constantly reminded about the organization’s goals and likewise be in the know should if there’s a change in policies or strategies. This way, they’re able to work in line with the company’s objectives in mind. A situation where there’s a change in organizational goals, but the staff members are not aware of it, can cause organizational setback and failure. For a business to flourish, there has to be a uniformity of goals, that is, the staffs and the managers have to perform their respective duties, bearing in mind the general goal of the business, as this will lead to high productivity in the business and regular staff meetings is a great avenue where this can be achieved.
- It enhances the relationship, communication, and teamwork: The central team, which is peculiar to all business managers or owners, is an organizational success. No business owner wants to witness the failure of their business. A great way to ensure business success is by establishing a great relationship with the employees, which can be actualized through regular and healthy staff meetings or assembly. Show me a successful organization, and you’ll see behind it a strong bond and communication between employers and staff! Every organization has its needs, and for these needs to be met, the management will have to implement and facilitate various initiatives which staff meeting is one of them. Staff meetings create a platform where values can be shared and ideas aired. This also reduces misunderstandings between staff as these meetings create a safe space where employees can learn about each other’s preferences, develop ideas, and feel a sense of belonging.
- It boosts staff morale and enhances motivation: It is safe to say that high morale in staff breeds a high level of professionalism and productivity. Great compliments from employers or managers encourage employees to be at their best, which can be done during a staff meeting. An effective and positive meeting between staff and the management can reduce stress levels, thereby giving room for new and innovative ideas. This, in turn, increases the productivity level of staff in particular and the organization in general. It’s of great benefit for any business when they encourage their staff regularly as failure to do so can lead to employees’ frustration. In this regard, it’s in the best interest of every organization to ensure that staffs morales are high as this will motivate them to bring their best in their various fields or departments.
- It enhances a sense of inclusion in employees: Regular assembling of all staff to share ideas on growing the business or moving a department forward gives them a sense of inclusion in the decision-making process. This will always want to make them bring the best ideas. This is also a great way to boost staff morale and motivate them always to do their best as effective joint efforts always yield positive results.
However, to have an effective staff meeting, a few rules and regulations need to be adhered to. These rules can otherwise be known as the do’s and dont’s in a staff meeting. We’ll be addressing the things to be done and not to be done when organizing a staff assembly.
The Do’s of a Staff Meeting
For a successful staff meeting to be achieved, some things should be done and measures to be put in place. This will help in yielding a positive result in the staff meeting held. Some of the things to be done and measures to be put in place include:
- Having an agenda: For every staff meeting to be held, there should be an agenda. That is the topic of discussion should have been prepared beforehand and also it Should have been communicated to the staff before the day of the meeting. This is necessary to enable the employees to know and bring useful suggestions and innovative ideas. There can’t be a staff meeting without an agenda or a purpose for which the gathering was called for.
- Problem-solving: During staff meetings, adequate time should be spent in solving the problems confronting the organization. The management should give room for suggestions as to how a problem being encountered can be resolved. Every business has its ups and downs, and it takes cooperative efforts from the employer and the employees to get it resolved. Hence room must be made for solutions to be preferred to those problems.
- Have a moderator: Someone should be appointed to take notes of the minutes and the issues discussed during the meeting. This will enable the organization to record the time spent and the things discussed and enable them to share the record with all those invited to the gathering and those whose presence was requested but couldn’t meet up with the meeting.
- Acknowledge accomplishments and hard work: Staff’s outstanding performances must be recognized when a staff meeting is being held. Hard work from individuals and various departments should be acknowledged as this will boost their morale and encourage them to do more. This will also encourage other staff to bring their best and also other departments to do their best.
- The meeting should be relevant: Issues to be addressed in a staff meeting must be relevant to everyone present. No one appreciates being in a place where issues discussed is none of their concern. It’s a waste of their time, making them not appreciate and honor future staff meetings with their presence, so it’s best to make every staff meeting worth the attendees’ time.
- Request for feedback: Feedbacks are essential to the growth of any organization. For every work assigned to an individual or a team, there’s a need for them to give feedback to the management as this will enable them to know the level of progress attained. Through feedbacks, the needs of different departments can be communicated to the management, and the progress of projects can also be communicated. Therefore, it is important to request feedbacks during staff meetings.
The Don’ts of a Staff Meeting
For a staff meeting to be adjudged as successful, some things should be avoided. These things can be referred to as the don’ts of a staff meeting. Avoiding these things will also help to improve the assembly of staff. Some of the things to avoid during a staff meeting include:
- Avoid lateness: Deliberate lateness to events and functions is a bad attitude to be avoided by all and therefore should not be brought to staff meetings as it demonstrates unseriousness and unprofessionalism. This should be discouraged. Coming late to meetings should be avoided by staff and employers. If possible, everyone invited should be present few minutes before the meeting proceedings begins.
- Avoid multi-tasking: Having divided attention when a staff meeting is going on is one of the bad habits or attitudes to avoid a successful meeting. Pressing of phones and laptops, chewing of gums, having side talks, sleeping, and all sorts of bad attitudes should be discouraged when a meeting is going on amongst staff and should not be seen amongst employers.
- Lack of time-consciousness: Speakers should be aware of time and keep to the time accrued to them not to bore the audience. Time consciousness is critical in every staff meeting and, therefore, should be adhered to. Some speakers are of the habit of spending more time than expected on one topic, repeating things that have been said before, and they end up boring those in attendance, which is unprofessional.
- Avoid long lectures: To make staff meetings successful and effective, long talks should be avoided. Every speaker should stick to time and give room for suggestions and ideas by the staffs. Staff meetings should be more of an interactive session so that everyone present can have that sense of inclusion. Hence after every lecture, there should be room for contributions, suggestions and development of ideas.
- Appear unprepared: The agenda or topic to be discussed should have been received beforehand. Hence, the attendees should have received the memo and prepared it for them to make useful suggestions and bring ideas relevant to the issues discussed. Anyone can be called upon for suggestions. Therefore, to not be caught unawares and not say anything, adequate preparations should be made before the meeting date.
Effective staff meetings
Effective staff meetings play important roles in the growth of every organization. From solving problems to motivating staff and so many other benefits and the rules and regulations for every staff meeting to be successful should be adhered to. Therefore, every organization should organize regular staff meetings and put the necessary things in place for it to succeed. Staff should also be encouraged to be present during staff meetings as it is beneficial for the business’s growth. Here is the summary of things to take note of when organizing a staff meeting:
- Have an agenda and make preparations for the meeting. Also, ensure everyone to be in attendance have an idea of the purpose of the meeting.
- Divided attention should not be found among attendees of the meeting. Everyone present should be conscious of the topic(s) discussed during the meeting, and all forms of distractions should be avoided.
- Members of staff should be punctual to the meeting to have the meeting as scheduled.
- Meaningful contributions would help in resolving issues. Therefore there should be room for staff to have a say on issues being discussed.
- Someone should be designated to take notes of minutes spent, topics discussed, and contributions made to enhance the notes’ sharing to everyone, including those who were not present.
- Managements should request feedback from staff or team leaders to measure the teams’ progress and, in the same manner, recognize hard work and accomplishments.
- Ensure every meeting is worth the time of everyone in attendance.
