Meetings are a fact of life for most professionals. While often an important part of keeping a company’s processes running, some meetings are actually enjoyed while others are simply tolerated. Data compiled by technology company Otter.ai shows that businesses conduct 11 million meetings each day, with 15 percent of a company’s time—35 percent for middle managers and 50 percent for upper management—spent in them.

Research shows that employees spend an average of approximately four hours each week preparing for status update meetings, and nearly seven in 10 (67 percent) say that spending too much time in meetings prevents them from being more productive. While 2020 supercharged the frequency of meetings, with the average number of meetings attended by workers increasing by 13.5 percent, the average length of meeting time decreased by 20 percent. Data shows that 67 percent of executives believe their meetings are a complete failure in communicating their purpose, and nearly all (92 percent) of employees multi-task during meetings. Similar research found that 69 percent of employees check email frequently during meetings, 49 percent do other unrelated work and 91 percent daydream.

A survey of senior managers found that 71 percent of employees believe meetings to be unproductive, and 45 percent think workforce productivity can be improved by limiting them.

For more of the information Otter.ai has collected, click here.