The hidden cost of a meeting is everyone else’s unfinished work
A meeting’s expense is not just the room, video call, or organizer’s preparation. It is the time of every person required to attend—and the work they cannot do while listening. When a presentation could have been read alone, the company has turned individual reading time into a shared block of paid time, often without gaining much in return.
That cost can be easy to miss because it is spread across departments and calendars. The organizer sees one event; the organization absorbs many interrupted workdays. Even a short gathering can also impose a switching cost: people may need time to regain focus on a task afterward.
Why the gathering can persist
Mandatory meetings often survive because their benefits are visible while their costs are diffuse. A presenter can see that the information was delivered, and a manager can see that the group assembled. It is harder to tell whether the meeting changed a decision, surfaced a problem, or improved anyone’s work. Attendance can therefore become a stand-in for coordination, even when it demonstrates only presence.
There can be reasonable reasons to meet: participants may need to challenge an assumption, resolve a disagreement, make a decision, or hear context that is difficult to convey in writing. But if the purpose is only to distribute information, the live format adds little unless it creates a useful chance to ask questions or respond.
Make the time earn its cost
A practical test is to ask what should be different when the meeting ends. If the answer is a decision, an assigned responsibility, or a resolved uncertainty, a discussion may justify bringing people together. If the answer is merely that everyone has heard the same material, a written update may do the job with less interruption.
The economic consequence is cumulative: recurring gatherings that produce no action quietly consume capacity that could have gone to the work the organization actually pays people to do.
