From palaverism to productive meetings

Background

”Palaverism” describes a new trend that has become even stronger due to the COVID 19 pandemic, where the time spent in remote meetings increased, especially in expert work. A huge amount of time and staff effort is invested in meetings, but little is known about their content and consequences for employees and organizations. This project examined employees’ and supervisors’ experiences concerning meeting quality and significance in terms of well-being at work and work productivity by means of survey and interview research.

Objectives

1. How did employees and supervisors rate the quantity and quality of work meetings and their satisfaction with the meetings?
2. Were there differences in meeting experiences depending on the format of the meeting (in person, remote, hybrid), background factors (e.g., age, gender, position, work experience), and different industries?
3. How were the quantity and quality of the meetings connected to work well-being and job performance?
4. How did the supervisors and leaders experience the meetings and their development? 

Data and methods

The research focused on personnel in both private and public sector and especially white-collar work. The project collected extensive survey material from several trade unions and target organizations working in expert, clerical, and managerial positions (n=1900). The cross-sectional survey was implemented in the fall 2024, and an additional diary survey data (n = 107) was collected in the spring 2025. In addition, 29 supervisors were interviewed using a thematic interview.

Results and impact

The research produced information about meeting experiences and their connections to well-being at work and job performance in working life after the corona pandemic. The project produced new quantitative and qualitative information and research-based proposals for the development of meetings. To support the development of meetings at the organizations, a survey inventory and a practical guide material on the quality and functionality of meeting practices was produced for both organizations and individual employees to use.

Read more about the research results from the project report and about the practical tools from the website of Work Research Centre.

Project group

• Anne Mäkikangas, project leader
• Esa Jokinen, project researcher (2/2024-1/2025)
• Sanna Markkula, project researcher (6/2024-1/2026)
• Laura Hirva, project researcher (3/2025-1/2026)
• Saija Mauno
• Pekka Isotalus