GoKawiilStudy finds meetings consume 12% of work hours, 14% of Norwegian firm wage bills
A large-scale survey of over 9,000 Norwegian workers, linked with employer-employee administrative records, found that meetings account for roughly 12 percent of work hours and 14 percent of firm wage bills. Most meeting time goes toward planning, problem-solving, information sharing, and project coordination, and higher-paying, higher-revenue firms spend more on meetings despite the greater cost of employee time.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The researchers link meeting intensity to faster wage growth and more reported on-the-job learning, suggesting meetings may serve as a channel for transferring knowledge from senior to junior staff within firms. This reframes meetings, often dismissed as wasted time, as a potentially productive investment rather than pure overhead, though the study stops short of proving a causal link between meetings and career advancement.
- Meetings consume about 12% of work hours and 14% of wage bills at Norwegian firms.
- Higher-paying, higher-revenue firms invest more time in meetings despite steeper opportunity costs.
- Meeting-intensive firms show stronger wage growth and more reported learning, hinting at a knowledge-transfer role.
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Published there as: “Why do we have so many meetings?”
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