Statistically, 9 out of 10 people prefer to interact at work in any other way than meetings. It’s a long-known culprit in corporate but also in SMB environments that apply standard operational formulas. Alternatives are hard to come by. You need to buy video conferencing tech, you need to triple-check that attendants are at their desk, that their computer supports the platform etc. Actually, we should have used past tense here as alternatives are no longer hard to come by.

No-nonsense meetings

Ironically, despite everyone hating them, meetings give us important benefits when conducted properly: insight, brainstorming, networking with fellow colleagues. Verbal communication and body language are irreplaceable when it comes to conveying a thought or a feeling. These are crucial aspects that make meetings relevant. However, meetings don’t have to occur daily, or just because.

This Inc. story about meetings and managers (M&Ms) appropriately outlines the negative impact meetings have on morale when they simply become the norm. If everyone asks for a meeting every time they have an issue or don’t agree with something, that would mean chaos for the whole team and meetings won’t longer serve their purpose. We’ve experienced this ourselves, many time. However, instead of cutting them down, we’ve moved them to Hubgets.

One of the key functions in Hubgets that lets you have meetings without getting up from the desks, as well as outside the office, is called Topics. Create a new Topic, assign it a name, a short description and a cool avatar, make it public for the whole team to see or invite only the people involved, and begin to chat and share files (documents, archives, images, videos etc.). Tags help you locate exactly what you need, when you need it. The search field enables you to instantly find the information you were looking for. Participants may choose at any time to stop following the conversation and don’t receive notifications anymore. And they can always come back.

Topics can be virtual meetings and even projects. In any case, they allow teams to get things done in a timely fashion, and deadlines are met at a much higher frequency. Managers, for their part, can track progress and scroll through a project’s timeline to keep close tabs on activity.

Fix more than missed deadlines

Here’s what happens when you no longer revolve around meetings and you start taking them for what they really are – business-as-usual:

Meetings are no longer seen as a pastime activity meant to summarize or plan ahead – Most people don’t view meetings as actual work. Especially when the manager says Okay, meeting’s over. Let’s go back to work.

Meetings are shorter – With Hubgets, you no longer have to run in circles trying to find data (it’s always a few keystrokes away), and the meeting doesn’t have to ceremoniously begin or be adjourned at any time.

People no longer wander off topic – Because that’s the whole purpose of Topics –> to keep the discussion on topic.

Kills fear of public speaking – Yes, for some, a regular office meeting is like speaking in front of a stadium full of people. They choke, freeze, or are simply too afraid to speak up. Maybe it’s the way John stares, or maybe it’s because the Big Man is in the house. Hubgets lets people be themselves and pitch in with fresh ideas daily.

Records progress – People usually forget most of what was said in a face-to-face meeting. Hubgets stores knowledge and makes it available across the entire organization, when and where it’s needed.

With Hubgets, teamwork is instant and fun. It streamlines every process and helps everyone meet their deadlines, and ultimately their goals. So, by using this teamwork app your face-to-face meetings will be so much better. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?

OK, not that ironic 😀 Now, what are you waiting for, take it for a ride today!