Oh-those-ever-dreaded-meetings. And how they can suck the life out of your staff and the organization. A easy way to improve employee engagement is by reducing the number of meetings. SHRM reports that over 50% of surveyed workers say that purposeless meetings are the number one cause of fatigue. And we're not surprised. Meeting-itis turned into the corporate world's pandemic. And it crept up on everyone because leaders simply forgot to ask a simple question. "Why?"

We recently read an article in Harvard Business Review that we loved. The author, Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, a Columbia Business School professor, author, and business consultant, writes that during this time when we’re all experiencing angst about geopolitical instability, AI fears, climate stress, layoffs, the looming threat of entering into a recession, and more (Yes. Eggs are still expensive), leaders are “operating in a state of perma-crisis.” Strauss Einhorn asks leaders to take pause and ask these four questions before they make any decisions:

Healthy turnover is expected. However, when good employees leave, morale drops, productivity slows, and organizations pay a hefty price in direct and indirect turnover costs. In a previous blog, we quoted Gallup. They write, “An astounding 42% of employees who voluntarily left their organization in the past year report that their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job.”

Employee turnover is more than inconvenient. According to Gallup , “Employee turnover costs businesses $1 trillion each year.” This might seem like an exaggeration. Where do they get these numbers? Turnover affects everything from recruitment costs to team morale, and the impact can be felt long after an employee leaves. Here are some costs associated with turnover.

According to Kaiser Permanent , U.S. employers face an annual cost of $2,945 per employee due to productivity losses caused by absenteeism and presenteeism resulting from chronic illnesses and injuries. What is the difference between absenteeism and presenteeism? Absenteeism: Absenteeism is defined as being away from work without good reason or beyond what could be considered an acceptable amount of time. This isn’t your regular sick day, instead a habitual absence from the job by employees.