When I share TheSoul Publishing’s policy on eliminating meetings and internal emails, the first two questions people ask are: “Why?†and “Does it work?â€
We believe giving our team members the ability to control their own time leads to increased efficiency. Using asynchronous communications, cutting out nearly all meetings, and eliminating internal email, could quickly make that happen. With this policy in place, rather than living by a schedule that’s dictated to them, their own priorities take precedent, helping them get things done more efficiently.
But it’s much more than productivity. Meetings often lead to a lack of transparency across an organization. Private meetings actually deter clear company communication. We all know, no matter how detailed the notes are, sometimes the written word can’t capture exactly what was said in a meeting. Some people remain “in the know†while others are flying blind.
At TheSoul Publishing, we know that everyone has their own preferences as to how they work. Personal workflow matters. If someone is most productive later in the day, and that’s when a colleague schedules a meeting, efficiency suffers. As a cost-benefit analysis, the time spent on meetings shows very little return on investment. Considering the trust we already put in our team, why wouldn’t we want to give them every chance to work at their best? That’s both how we create an efficient work environment and a happier workforce. For team members who do work in the office, we give them a wide window of time to best handle their responsibilities. Our flexibility extends to our remote workers, who represent 80% of our workforce, around the world as well, working in more than 70 countries around the world who work around deadlines, not specific office hours.
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Collaboration Is Key
Meetings often detract from effective collaboration. It may be the opposite of what we have been told, but calling a meeting to get the creative juices flowing doesn’t work. Research shows most employees today prefer fewer calls and meetings. Executives spend an average of 23 hours per weekOpens a new window in scheduled meetings, and 71% of managers feel that meetings are unproductive and inefficient. Unlike many business problems, this one is easily solvable: stop calling meetings.
When meetings are part of the company culture, people have the tendency to hold off on taking action until the next touch-base. It impacts both sides as work gets backed up as team members put tasks on hold to accommodate another Zoom call, leaving little time for heads-down work.
Why It Works
We’re a global team of more than 2,300 people, and 80% of us work remotely. Between the various time zones and the personal scheduling preferences, asynchronous communication has served us well. Our process eliminates the need for everyone to be at their workspace at the same time. Rather than setting up meetings to project-manage, the overall project timeframes allow our teams to correspond and collaborate at their own pace.
Without meetings and with a strong culture of how to communicate well in writing, messaging is incredibly clear and effective. Asynchronous communication helps teams collaborate well. Rather than trying to recall something said in a group setting, teammates can instead refer to a past project using a project management tool. The right technology allows team members to stay focused on the task at hand and respond to messages when it is convenient for them, rather than the moment it is received. This system also gives us the time to share clear and thought-out written messages.
The Unexpected
A major criticism of the no-meetings policy is that meetings are the only way for team members to connect and develop relationships. This simply hasn’t been the case at TheSoul. In the absence of meetings, our team finds ways to connect one-on-one as needed, at a pace that fits their communication styles and leads to stronger collaborative efforts. People who work at TheSoul are naturally social, and they seek out friendships and make connections with one another naturally; they do not need to be assigned a time to do so. And while it’s not exactly measurable, authenticity helps to build strong bonds. Professional relationships at our company have blossomed into personal friendships in many instances, which is all the more impressive considering our remote setup.
The Transition
So how do you actually do it? A company must align both the culture and the infrastructure in a way that is open to change. It’s not something that happens overnight. Leaders need to set up transparent and asynchronous communication processes across their company. Not only do the recurring weekly meetings need to end, but so do the standard daily emails. Project management needs to work well on both the team level and companywide to create a shared culture around the approach. It starts at the top, where the senior team needs to practice what it’s preaching. Once those steps are implemented successfully, a ‘no meetings’ policy will immediately boost efficiency.
Ending meetings as we know them can also help organizations create a better culture. Communicating your values to employees openly and directly has a significant impact. For example, TheSoul Publishing shares videos to celebrate milestones. At times we also offer virtual or in-person experiences where teammates can engage outside of work to help bring them together. To find an activity your team will love, leaders may consider surveying teams to understand their interest areas to find something most team members will enjoy. These are, of course, optional, but if you take the time to plan them properly, your team members won’t want to miss the opportunity to engage.
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Does It Work?
Implementing asynchronous communication processes has clearly delivered stronger results from our teams. The company posted a 45% year-over-year revenue increase in 2020, and the team continues to grow at a fast pace. TheSoul Publishing’s staff jumped by 50% since 2019 to more than 2,400; it added 200 new employees in August alone and still has 200 positions that it is actively recruiting to fill.
But the advantages brought to light here are not specific to TheSoul Publishing. It all comes down to implementation. The primary goal needs to be boosting efficiency and productivity while ensuring people are able to spend time doing what they excel in, rather than getting involved in a process that does not provide value.
Our newcomers tell us the no-meetings model is unusual and may even be a bit challenging to digest in the beginning. But once they get into it, they feel liberated because their productivity skyrockets. We take pride in hiring team members at the top of their profession. For most roles within the company, live communication and presentation is not part of their core job description. We’ve established an environment where people can generate incredible value in a faster turnaround time.
From social followers surpassing one billion to our channels topping 100 billion views in the first seven months of 2021 to our incredibly efficient production flow that delivers more than 500 videos a month, the company’s ongoing achievements are not only correlated but have been accelerated by TheSoul Publishing’s unique and innovative approach to workplace culture.