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Conference rooms are shared spaces meant to be used as collaboration hubs between coworkers and private spaces for employees and employers. As with any shared space, employees need to abide by certain unwritten rules if the space is to be properly maintained and used by all.

1. Don’t Use a Conference Room Without Booking It First

You may think it’s OK to pop into an unoccupied meeting room for a few minutes without booking it. After all, ideas happen on the fly, and you shouldn’t need to wait to share your thoughts with team members. But what will you do when someone else takes the time to book that room only to be rudely turned away by you when you haven’t reserved the space? 

Keep coworkers in the loop by taking a moment to reserve the room before taking over the space. We also recommend adding an open collaborative space near your workstations that does not need to be booked. Provide basic office furniture or a standing height storage island that can be used based on the understanding that it does not need to be reserved and is specifically put there for those on-the-fly interactions.

2. Don’t Double-Book Conference Rooms

Double-booking is usually an accident, but double-check to make sure it isn’t a mistake you’re making. Sometimes when we book conference rooms, we select every conference room in the office to see which is available at the required time. Then we forget to unselect the ones we aren’t actually using—whoops. Suddenly nobody is able to book a conference room because you accidentally reserved rooms you aren’t using. Be considerate and do a quick double-take after you reserve a space.

3. Book and Cancel Your Conference Room Early

As soon as you know you’ll need a meeting room, book it! The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be for you to get the room you want, and you don’t want to be put in a situation where you need to ask coworkers to move their meetings just because you weren’t proactive in planning yours. In addition, if a meeting gets canceled, make sure you cancel your room reservation immediately. This will ensure that others will have time to reserve it for themselves.

4. Leave the Conference Room as Clean as or Cleaner Than You Found It

It’s simple—don’t make a mess. If you came in with a coffee cup, take it with you. If you shredded your notebook paper as a habit, throw it in the garbage. If your large meeting was catered, clean up the mess. You can even go the extra mile by wiping down fingerprints from the conference table or dusting the computer monitor before you leave the room.

5. Leave Promptly When Your Meeting Time Ends

When booking your conference room, take care that you’re allotting enough time for the meeting. Whether you successfully hit all the talking points needed or not, keep an eye on the clock and evacuate the space when your time slot has ended. You take up your coworkers’ time by running your meeting into theirs, and we guarantee they won’t appreciate it. 

6. Accommodate the Needs of Others

You don’t need a conference room built to seat 10 if you only have 2 people in the meeting. If you book a large conference room for a small number of people and a coworker asks you to switch rooms, be accommodating. Issues often arise, and your coworkers may ask to use your conference room in an emergency. Be understanding and help out your peers when you can. 

7. Keep the Door Closed

The people working around you don’t need to hear your entire conversation. Do them all a favor and close the door when your meetings are in session. Similarly, those interrupting a meeting for any reason should knock before entering. A closed door means “give us some privacy” and should be taken as a sign that you need to ask permission before entering.

Whether you’re having a private meeting with your manager or a 20-person training session, following these guidelines will keep your coworkers happy and ensure everyone is able to use your office’s meeting rooms equally. 

Conference Rooms
Employee Wellness

More From NBF

Meeting Culture: What It Is and How to Improve It

Meeting Culture: What It Is and How to Improve It

According to a survey released by Clarizen and Harris Poll, the average American office employee spends more than 9 hours each week prepping for or attending meetings. It’s a huge portion of workers' time; unfortunately, it might not be productively spent. 

While everyone can agree that sometimes meetings aren’t their favorite pastime, they serve a purpose. They provide an environment where employees can gather, share ideas, and collaborate on projects, campaigns, and strategy. 

Many experts feel employee dissatisfaction isn’t about the meetings but the meeting culture. Is your meeting culture lacking? Here are some signs that it might not be as great as you want it to be:

  • Meeting attendees are disengaged. This may take the form of blatant cell phone use.

  • Meeting attendees are uncomfortable. Maybe they are rubbing their neck or constantly adjusting their position, trying to get comfortable in their chair.

  • Workers complain about how long meetings are. If your meetings last more than an hour, it may be time to reevaluate if that time is necessary.

  • Your meetings end without clear action points for each member to perform independently or in smaller teams.

If you think you need to improve your meeting culture, consider meeting time frames and meeting attendants. Ensure the time scheduled is appropriate and every participant is necessary. If meetings are too long and individuals see no benefit to attending, they will likely disengage quickly. An unfocused employee is distracting to others and decreases productivity if the unneeded employee is stuck in a meeting instead of working.

Outfitting any meeting or conference room with comfortable seating is essential, especially if you consistently hold longer meetings. Uncomfortable employees are less likely to be actively engaged in the conversation.

 

Another necessary component of positive meeting culture is to ensure that each meeting is useful for all. Creating informed action items for each attendee from the discussion can help make meetings more valuable for employees and the company.

 

5 Tips for Holding Successful Meetings | NBF

5 Tips for Holding Successful Meetings

If your company meetings haven’t been as productive as you might like, the problem could lie in a number of common mistakes. Consider these tips before, during, and after your meetings to ensure that all participants get out of each meeting what you put into them.

1. Make Sure the Topic Warrants a Formal Meeting

Most of us have seen those blue ribbons floating around social media that read, “I survived a meeting that should have been an email.” Sitting in conference rooms eats up huge chunks of an employee’s day, so make sure the meeting you’re planning actually requires a formal get-together before you schedule it. 

If you only need a short answer to a question, stop by your coworker’s desk and ask in person or send an email. You may also want to incorporate small, casual meeting spaces for impromptu chats between just a few employees. This will provide designated areas for coworkers to meet at a moment’s notice to discuss something that may only require 10 or 15 minutes of talking time.

2. Make Sure All Participants Are Relevant to the Topic

On the same wavelength, only invite relevant participants to your meetings.  Filling a conference room with excess people will hinder productivity. Rather than inviting a whole team to a given meeting, you may want to invite one team member and have them relay action items to others in the group. Who you invite to your meetings will largely depend on the topic and who it affects, but remember that more is not always merrier when it comes to meetings.

3. Stay on Topic

It can be very easy to go off topic in a meeting—especially with many participants. If you are the organizer, you may want to set an agenda and distribute it the day before to prevent off-topic conversations. This will keep everyone on the same page and provide an easy outline for everything that needs to be discussed in the allotted time.

4. Keep an Eye on the Clock

The first step toward good time management during a meeting is scheduling it for the appropriate amount of time. Although you don’t want to waste time by scheduling a meeting for too long of a time slot, you also want to make sure your expectations for how long a meeting will take are realistic—don’t try to do too much in a small amount of time. Stay aware of what time it is throughout the meeting so you can cover everything you want to within the given time.

5. Wrap up Effectively

When you bring your meeting to a close, make action steps for each participant clear, ensuring that everyone understands what to take away when they return to their desks. For larger meetings, you may want to email participants a summary of what was discussed and what action steps are needed. Be sure to give clear directions, not suggestions, and provide deadlines whenever possible.

 

The Pros and Cons of Standing Meetings

The Pros and Cons of Standing Meetings

It’s a fact of life—we sit, and we do a lot of it, especially at work. Unfortunately, our sedentary habits come with a cost—negative health effects. Research has shown us how much we can benefit by merely standing for short periods. In fact, research has shown that balance and moderation of both sitting and standing is the way to go to have healthy and effective working habits.

One way to incorporate more standing into your daily routine is to have standing meetings. These meetings have advantages and disadvantages. While attendees of standing meetings tend to be more focused on the task at hand, they are not always the most efficient. Occasionally, standing does not allow us to work in the ways we need to, such as when it comes to stooping over to take notes. Standing meetings help us get moving and ward off negative health effects, but they simply are not appropriate for all meetings.

It’s best to offer a variety of meeting rooms or perhaps just one that lends itself to many different uses, from holding standing brainstorming sessions to hour-long executive meetings. Of course, furniture is a critical component when it comes to creating these rooms, as it shapes so much of the room’s purpose and potential. Know that everyone works and meets differently, so offering a varied approach to meeting settings is ideal for holding productive meetings—no matter which variety they may be.

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