Employers across the U.S. aim to create greater well-being and sustainability for their employees, and that means considering flexibility of hours and strategies around meetings.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to these strategies, especially in hospitals and health systems, which operate 24/7 with employees working varying shifts. Some organizations may encourage meeting-free Fridays. Others may opt out of 8 a.m. meetings.
In recent months, Becker's presented the following poll on LinkedIn: "Many health systems are refining their meeting strategies. Which approach most accurately reflects your organization's preferences?"
Twenty-eight percent of respondents chose meeting-free Fridays, and 16% said 45-minute meetings. Only 5% said meeting-free mornings, and 51% said their approach is unchanged.
Becker's contacted healthcare leaders and industry representatives for their take on meeting-free Fridays and other related strategies. They generally agreed that organizations should take a calculated approach when it comes to how and when meetings are conducted.
Maria Amato, who leads the employer value proposition and total rewards optimization solution areas at Korn Ferry, a global organizational consulting firm
Ms. Amato told Becker's she has not seen a majority of her clients implement meeting-free Fridays, at least formally.
"But there is recognition that flexibility of hours is really important for employees, and Korn Ferry research would indicate that as well — that flexibility of hours even trumps flexibility of location," she said.
A report released June 6 from Korn Ferry, informed by a survey of 10,000 global employees, found employees are increasingly prioritizing flexibility (33%) over compensation (31%) when seeking new roles. Additionally, 68% of the respondents agree that they would stay at a job that allowed them flexibility, even if they hated the position.
With flexibility in mind, she said she believes the best leading practice "would be being so much more thoughtful about how and when you have meetings, how and when you send emails. I think people are equally as overwhelmed by their emails as they are by their meetings."
Ms. Amato added that management of objectives for the meeting, the length of the meeting and the attendee list are also considerations.
"So when you actually do have a meeting, it's because you really needed to have a meeting of all of those people for all of that time," she said.
Michelle Johnson, senior partner with executive search firm WittKieffer
Ms. Johnson expressed support for meeting-free Fridays as well as other attempts to carve out "white space" for individuals and teams.
"If anything, it's valuable to break up routines so that people are not bound by their schedules and segmenting every day according to the hour or half-hour," she said.
"It's also important to have dedicated time in one's work life to think and get creative, or even to have impromptu conversations with colleagues, without always having to attend a meeting or meet a specific deadline."
Still, Ms. Johnson acknowledged the practical challenges to creating a meeting-free day, such as potentially making other days busier.
But she said it is important for executives and team leaders "to disrupt the daily grind and identify ways for people to be more productive and find enjoyment in their work. With a squeeze in time the remaining four days, it may also challenge teams to question whether all meetings are needed and better prioritize the more important ones."
Peter Slavin, MD, incoming president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System, both in Los Angeles
Dr. Slavin will become president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System in October. He served as president of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston from 2003 to 2021 before leaving to pursue his interests in healthcare investment, advising and consulting.
When it comes to scheduling meetings, Dr. Slavin said he generally believes organizations should take a family-centric approach.
"We need meeting schedules that work for people of all ages, so I'll certainly try to schedule many of my meetings during the workday," he said.
He added that "we all need to be mindful of work-life balance and enable people to spend the requisite time they should with their loved ones."