Regular staff meetings are important for many reasons. They help keep everyone informed, are important for problem solving, and are a great opportunity to innovate as a team. But as schedules get busier and more employees start working remotely or on differing schedules, it can seem like those regular meetings should take a back seat. Here are four reasons you shouldn’t let those staff meetings fall off your calendar (or your employees).

1. Keep Everyone on the Same Page

With so many people doing different jobs today, teams can easily fall into the trap of miscommunication. Staff meetings are important because they help keep everyone informed; however, that only means something when you realize how bad poor communication can be for business. Many employees are endlessly frustrated at poor communication, mix ups, lack of follow through, or a message getting mistranslated from one person to another. Email as a form of communication is very helpful, but it too lacks the emotion and personal connection that helps to really land a message.

In person meetings help solve all those problems. They help level set and make sure everyone is given a chance to participate. You never know how important a face-to-face meeting is until you realize your team is hearing different messages and can’t deliver because of it.

2. Solve Problems in Real Time

Problem solving is one of the most critical functions of a team. When working in collaboration with coworkers and leadership, great things can happen. Innovation and brainstorming are the product of a group, sitting together, and working through a problem. Meetings are an opportunity to share goals, ideas, barriers, and policies. Processes can be dissected and solutions ideated in real time without repeat effort or miscommunication.

3. Enforce Policies and Procedures

Policies and procedures are important to the long-term success of any organization. Providing teams with the opportunities to learn about those high-level missions and the rules put in place to achieve those goals is critical. Without goals and planning, there is no growth or improvement. By working together, organizations are able to set expectations and clearly communicate ideas around those policies. Are they working? Are they being followed? Why should anyone care? These are all questions you can answer more effectively in person.

4. Solicit Feedback

Managers and organizational leadership should use every staff meeting as a chance to ask for feedback from their employees. Rarely do team members have access to high level managers, and the same holds true for corporate leadership. Feedback is a gift and always provides valuable learning opportunities for those willing to listen and act on it. Make time for these conversations and see how fast your company grows because of that invested time and effort.

For more advice on how to connect and engage better with your staff, reach out to the talent management gurus at Verum Technical today.