The Type Of Meeting Bosses Have When They Don't Trust Their Team
There's a specific kind of meeting bosses should be holding instead.
Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock For many working-class adults, having meetings at work can be draining and unproductive.
In a TikTok video, Kate Waterfall Hill, a leadership coach, explained the one type of meeting that many bosses will have with their teams, but only because they don't have any trust in them and want to micro-manage instead.
She claimed that the 'job justification meeting' is the type of call bosses have when they don't trust their teams.
In Hill's video, she acted out a skit between a boss and their employees as the boss decided to create a new type of meeting called "job justification," which was only happening because they didn't trust their teams to keep up with their assignments on their own.
"We're going to have a new weekly meeting. We'll go around the table at 9 a.m. every Monday. It'll last about two hours. We'll ask each person to talk through their main priorities for the coming week," Hill said. "It's likely that most people will just repeat themselves."
Hill's fake work scenario, which seemed to resonate with many viewers, didn't stop there. Acting as the micromanaging boss, she continued, informing her team that during these meetings, employees would most likely be talking about the same things that wouldn't be of interest to anyone else on the team besides that person.
"It saves me time reading any emails or reports that you've sent me. So I don't really have to know what you're up to on your projects, it's a total waste of your time, but very useful to me. That obviously assumes that I remember what you said in this meeting. I'll probably ask you to send me the report afterward anyway."
Photo: Milkos from Getty Images / Canva Pro
In the comments section, people were ablaze with their own experiences in meetings at work that seemingly didn't have an agenda at all. "Love it — We have one each Monday called The Table — where we go round 'the table' and everyone outlines how 'busy' they are going to be for the week!" one TikTok user wrote.
Another user added, "My old boss’ boss would have us write on a doc what we were planning to do all week and then Friday give written detailed status updates."
"Ah yes, the weekly staff meeting, where my boss rehashes all of the stuff we already heard about via email, then gives untracked status updates," a third user chimed in.
Career experts recommend that bosses should stray from having meetings without a clear agenda.
According to Erin Baker, a psychologist, leadership coach and former corporate leader, there are a specific type of meetings bosses should have instead have an effective agenda. "Oftentimes people will schedule meetings but not be clear [on] what they want to get out of it," Baker said.
Instead, the best type of meetings between bosses and employees are ones such as brainstorming sessions, as those are the best way to generate ideas and discussions that involve all participants, and kickoff meetings, for if there is a new initiative that needs to be explained to other people on a team.
Baker advised that bosses stray away from status update meetings, saying, "A round-robin of what people are working on can be handled over email or a collaboration tool."
Instead of having meetings that take an unnecessary amount of time, managers should focus on collaborative and engaging discussions with their teams. Whether that's focusing on trying to inspire creativity or simply having shorter sessions, in general, efficient time management including within meetings will only create a more harmonious and positive workplace experience for everyone.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.