Stand-Up Meetings? Stay Active While You Work! Why Not?

Stand-up meetings? Why not!

As its name indicates, a stand-up meeting is a get-together where participants stand around a high table. This typically short meeting requires a height-adjustable table which can be set either manually, or through an electric mechanism with programmable settings.

This type of meeting has become extremely popular in recent years, gaining widespread international acceptance in companies concerned about employee wellness and enhanced productivity.

 Short, efficient meetings

Generally held early in the workday and rather informal in nature, stand-up meetings should never last more than 15 minutes, in deference to attendees who may not be in top physical condition.

They can be held nearly anywhere in the office or plant, so long as there is space available and, crucially, provided the discussion will not disrupt other workers.

The main purposes of a stand-up meeting include sharing relevant and critical corporate information, consulting one another, and/or making rapid decisions. This type of meeting is also ideal for daily briefings as well as team updates.

At heart, a stand-up meeting must have a highly specific objective and address a limited number of people; otherwise, it may lose its efficiency.

Shorten your meetings

Managing a conventional meeting is a constant efficiency issue for leaders, as participants too often stray significantly from the scheduled agenda. Thus, meetings are overly long, which leads to considerable losses for your company.

Adopting the concept of stand-up meetings can reduce meeting length by an average 34%. Given the effort of standing and the ensuing fatigue, some attendees will be eager to accelerate the process, simply so they can return to the comfort of their workstations. As a result, discussions tend to conclude much more quickly than usual.

An unquestionable gain in productivity

Stand-up meetings have been shown to significantly boost group productivity. Among attendees, they generate enhanced communication in less time.

Following a stand-up meeting, attendees also tend to return to their workstations more quickly in order to sit down and get back to work. This rapid transition, from meeting to direct implementation of agreed decisions, is one of the top benefits of this practice; discussions and ideas are transformed into decisive actions more quickly.

 Stand-up meetings are more dynamic

Standing encourages an active attitude among participants, stimulates attention, and ensures optimal information retention. The downside of conventional seated meetings is the adoption of a more passive (and thus, less stimulating) positioning. In fact, some meeting attendees tend to “sag” in their seats after some time; as a result, their concentration level decreases and their attention begins to wander. These negative effects are far less prevalent in stand-up meetings. It’s difficult to get drowsy when you are standing!

Increased participation and group cohesiveness

Stand-up meetings foster collaboration and constructive conversations. As meeting groups tend to be smaller, each person contributes more frequently and impactfully. In this context, corporate hierarchies are also less visible; it is impossible to reserve a specific spot. Each attendee is important, which strengthens individual involvement. Creative ideas rapidly emerge, and attendees leave the meeting feeling fulfilled and valued.

 Standing for good health

It has been largely proven that sitting for prolonged periods is detrimental to human metabolism. It’s no coincidence that height-adjustable tables have become increasingly popular in the offices of major corporations as well as government bodies. Rather, this trend is the result of business investments in both employee wellness and in lowering healthcare-related costs caused by a sedentary lifestyle.

This insidious, toxic lifestyle is responsible for serious health problems including cardiac diseases (specifically heart disease), stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and even colon cancer.

Office work and stand-up meetings for a total of two or more hours per day can extend life expectancy by roughly 10%. Let’s go – on your feet, everyone!