For those who have ever shared a "this meeting could have been an email" meme, today is your day to say "I told you so!" The president of Shopify (SHOP) just shared the results of a company-wide initiative to do away with all recurring meetings between three or more people. And the results may shock you.
According to Finkelstein, the change started at the beginning of the year. Annually, the move would free up 322,000 collective hours previously spent in meetings, meaning that the entire company now practices a meeting-free Wednesday. Meeting time per person is down 33% over last year--and Finkelstein is prepared to see 25% more projects completed overall.
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In a follow-up note, Finkelstein told readers, "Your company probably has too many meetings. People did not join Shopify to sit in meetings. They joined Shopify to build -- and that’s exactly what they are doing.”
The post has garnered likes and confirmations from employees and managers alike. Some have offered their own meeting standards.
It's important to note that these statistics are projections--if the radical choice to drastically cut meetings was made in early January, Shopify staff has only had a quarter now to observe the rule's effects. Increased productivity typically signals a blessing for companies and shareholders, so it will be worth keeping an eye on Shopify's success further down the line.
