How checking your emails in meetings drives your colleagues mad

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Workers become 'annoyed' and 'distracted' when colleagues use devices
Those using phones in meetings are 50 per cent more prone to mistakes
Harvard Business School academics said colleagues felt it was 'rude'
Other tips for successful meetings include making them small and short

Published: 05:26 EST, 9 July 2015 | Updated: 05:29 EST, 9 July 2015

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Workers who check emails during meetings drive their colleagues mad, according to new research which reveals multi-tasking in the office causes others to become 'annoyed' and 'distracted'.

The study, by Harvard Business School academics, found that those who use devices during meetings made 50 per cent more mistakes and took 50 per cent longer to accomplish a task.

Professor Francesca Gino said the brain 'can't handle multi-tasking' and found that workers believe it is 'rude' when their colleagues pick up a mobile phone during a conference.

A study, by Harvard Business School academics, found that those who use devices during meetings not only made 50 per cent more mistakes but also 'distracted' and 'annoyed' their colleagues by not paying attention

She said: 'The results suggest that we feel distracted and annoyed when others are checking their phone rather than paying attention to what we have to say in a meeting.

'Yet we fail to realise that our actions will have the same effect on others when we are the ones engaging in them.'

Professor Gino, author of Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed and How We Can Stick to the Plan, said that while the brain can do simple tasks like walking and talking at the same time, it is unable to multi-task effectively.

She even went as far to say that multi-tasking is 'simply a mythical activity', adding: 'The research finds that the more time people spend using multiple forms of media simultaneously, the least likely they are to perform well on multitasking abilities.

'In fact, studies show that a person who is attempting to multitask takes 50 per cent longer to accomplish a task and he or she makes up to 50 per cent more mistakes.'

7 TIPS FOR THE PERFECT MEETING

1. Keep it small

No more than seven people should be present at a meeting to enable all attendees to participate. Smaller groups make it easier for workers to pick up on their colleagues body language.

2. Ban devices

Mobile phones, tablets and laptops should be put away or turned off during the meeting unless they are being used to retrieve reference material. Devices are not only distracting to the user, but also colleagues.

3. Keep it as short as possible

Meetings should be no longer than one hour, to allow workers to stay focused. Problems are also solved much quicker when there are time constraints, with decision-making performed at a faster rate under higher pressure.

4. Stand up

Stand-up meetings are said to be 34 per cent shorter than sit-down meetings but produce the same solutions.

5. Make sure everyone participates

Make sure everyone speaks up and offers their point, instead of hanging back. Professor Axtell said: 'Some people may want to speak up but don't feel like they can unless they're asked.' Those who hold back often have the best perspective but it needs to be drawn out.

6. Never hold a meeting just to update people

Meetings held to update employees on a matter are deemed a waste of time by academics. Why take up valuable time saying something you can just email?

7. Set an agenda

Setting an agenda ahead of the meeting is critical. Lacking a clear plan of action often causes meetings to de-rail and sees less decisions made. Planning gives everyone the opportunity to clarify intentions and allows participants to attend prepared.

Paul Axtell, who has worked for 35 years as a personal effectiveness consultant, agrees that being on a mobile phone during a meeting can be 'hurtful'.

Writing on the Harvard Business School blog, he said: 'If you're presenting or talking about an idea and you see a senior manager on their phone, it hurts.'

He suggested that all devices should be switched off during meetings unless they are being used to retrieve reference material.

The research has been published by the Harvard academics alongside advice on how to get more out of work meetings.

They suggest that sessions should be kept 'as small as possible' with no more than seven workers in attendance in a bid to allow everyone to participate.

They also believe meetings should last no longer than one hour, to allow workers to stay focused, and be conducted while standing. This is because sessions taken while standing are 34 per cent shorter than sit-down meetings, yet produce the same solutions.

Other tips by the academics for sure-fire success meetings include making sure everyone speaks up and offers their point, instead of hanging back.

Professor Axtell said: 'Some people may want to speak up but don't feel like they can unless they're asked.

'This may be due to 'cultural reasons, or language barriers, or general disposition.'

'The people who hold back often have the best perspective on the conversation and definitely need to be drawn out.'

The academics also advise setting an agenda prior to the meeting, to show the clear purpose of the session, and never holding a conference just to update colleagues.

The advice comes after an industry body claimed that companies need to improve productivity in the workplace by introducing 'smarter working practices'.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that fewer than half of British businesses consider increasing productivity to be a current priority, while a third do not use any measures of productivity.

Weak productivity has been a major problem in the UK since the financial crisis, and the economic recovery has not led it to pick up as much as the Bank of England expected, potentially weighing on how much Britons can expect to earn in the future.

Professor Francesca Gino, from Harvard Business School, said the brain 'can't handle multi-tasking' and found that workers believe it is 'rude' when their colleagues pick up a phone during a conference (file picture)

Last week, the CIPD warned that there needs to a strong focus on workplace productivity.

Peter Cheese, chief executive, said: 'We need a shift in focus towards increasing the value generated by the workforce and how work is organised.

'This will require a renewed focus on the way people are managed and developed to deliver smarter, more productive working.'

The CIPD said the government should give higher priority to investing in ventures such as the funding of vocational and further education and training.