Healthy meeting standards promote successful employee responsibility

“I glance at my watch – my present meeting has not ended, yet my next meeting has already started.”

This particular feeling is not a pleasant one. Successful employee responsibility has, among other things, to do with making sure to arrive on time for meetings. UiT has therefore decided that all meetings are to start 15 minutes past the hour and end no later than on the hour sharp. As a result we are all set and ready to practise successful employee responsibility. However, this requires that everyone must follow up regarding this!

In addition to arriving on time successful employee responsibility requires that you always attend a meeting well prepared. It is quite likely that your presence at a particular meeting isn’t simply a coincidence. There is someone who would like to hear your point of view, your perspectives and your attitude regarding a particular matter. And if you happen to be uncertain about your participation at a particular meeting, do ask!

According to UiT´s strategy, we will have outstanding management and employee responsibility. This means, among other things, that we must encourage and back one another, make our colleagues efficient and avoid second rounds. Once you are at a meeting raise your hand and express your point of view and share your thoughts and ideas. It is too late to do this in the corridor after the meeting only to the person who was sitting next to you. Disagreements at a meeting are not only allowed, but even an advantage as each of us has different competences and views, and this ensures that all aspects of a matter will be discussed. It is very rarely the case that someone has the key, but rather so that a favourable conclusion/solution is reached through dialogue. However, do stick to the agenda.

Just as important as contributing is listening! When you have a lot of enthusiasm related to a particular matter, it is essential to really listen to others rather than focusing on your own next argument.

Occasionally you may notice that a colleague/manager is becoming frustrated or annoyed, and then you must keep in mind that the reason for this reaction may be his/her immense enthusiasm. Make sure that you treat this colleague/manager with respect and be curious about the reason for his/her point of view.

We have grown into a large multi-campus university. How do we take this into consideration when we are organizing a meeting? Should those who are available and present meet in person and those few who are not join the meeting “on the wall”/digitally? If we are to organize a meeting in accordance with successful employee responsibility and if the topics in question allow for this, the main rule is as follows: If one participants must join the meeting “on the wall”/digitally, all participants must sit at his/her individual PC! This represents successful employee responsibility in that this makes everyone feel included and every participant attends the meeting in an equal manner. Further, everyone raises his/her hand in the same way, and both sound and audio/video are the same for everyone irrespective of their geographical location. When all participants sit at their own PCs, the effect is increased flexibility for all participants, and this may represent the most efficient and environmental form of meeting with respect to certain meetings.

If you are participating at a meeting digitally, mute your microphone when you are not talking and SWITCH YOUR CAMERA ON! This represents successful employment responsibility! How do you like talking to a “wall”/picture compared to talking to a number of live faces who nod, smile and really listen? Give that a thought next time you participate at a meeting.

Link to UiT meeting standards. (English version)

Have a successful meeting!

Best regards,

-Gunhild