Staff meetings are notorious energy drainers. Most of us have endured low-value gatherings where a narcissistic leader rambled, the agenda drifted, and the clock seemed to move backward.
So it’s no surprise that 30 percent of employees now admit they use AI tools to skip meetings, assuming AI will “cover” for them, according to a recent survey of 1,000 full-time employees[1]. Nearly half say staff meetings are unproductive and unnecessary.
And who can blame them?
AI, as an output system that synthesizes existing data, excels at meeting summaries, recaps, and action items. It delivers astonishing efficiency – turning long conversations into crisp bullet points and compiled research into distilled insights.
If a meeting adds little value, why attend when a bot can do the listening?
This is the leadership tension we must confront.
Work is still where we spend a large portion of our lives. Organizations cannot thrive without human connection, learning, trust, creativity, and innovation.
AI can capture information – but it cannot replace trust. It cannot replicate mentorship, shared meaning, candid disagreement, group laughter, or subtle group dynamics where ideas collide and evolve.
If leaders allow employees to chronically skip meetings and rely solely on AI notes to stay connected, professional growth will suffer. Employees miss:
- Opportunities to develop communication, presentation, and leadership skills.
- Human dialogue critical for creativity, teamwork, negotiation, and problem-solving.
- Shared discussion around vision, mission, values, and team goals that drive alignment, contribution, and strategic success.
If AI is replacing bad meetings, then the answer isn’t fewer meetings – it’s better ones.
Seven Ways to Create Staff Meetings People Don’t Want to Skip
1. Make meetings predictable – and sacred.
Hold meetings on a consistent schedule, share agendas in advance, and avoid casual cancellations. Predictability signals that these gatherings matter and that human connection is a priority.
2. Bring one meaningful, strategic topic every time.
Anchor each meeting with a substantive issue tied to purpose or direction. Pose a strategic question and invite discussion. If leaders don’t treat the meeting as important, employees won’t either.
3. Use meetings to visibly value people.
Invite diverse voices to share insights, not just updates. When people are seen and heard, engagement rises – and meetings feel human again.
4. Rotate roles and ownership.
Assign rotating responsibilities for facilitating, presenting, or sharing expertise. Ownership transforms passive attendees into active contributors.
5. Tie participation to personal goals.
Make meeting engagement part of performance conversations. Ask employees to reflect quarterly on how they contributed. Human conversation drives human improvement.
6. Start with a human moment.
Occasionally open with a one-minute personal or professional share – wins, productivity tips, or wellness practices. These moments build trust quickly.
7. Address office fatigue and constant interruption.
Research[2] found that employees in traditional office settings are interrupted every two minutes – about 275 interruptions per day. If each interruption costs just one minute of refocusing, that adds up to four hours of lost productivity every day! Leaders must set norms that protect attention and reduce noise.
Rather than a fragmented workforce that outsources meetings to AI, you can build a team that shows up – engaged, prepared, and connected.
AI may be great at recaps. Meaningful conversations, motivation, and trust? That’s still the leader’s job.
[1] 2025 Software Finder survey of 1,000 full-time professional employees.
[2] The 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report by Microsoft.
