Meetings starting after 8 p.m. have increased 16% year over year, according to a June 17 article analyzing Microsoft 365 usage and published by WorkLab, a Microsoft publication.
This trend, combined with 4 in 10 global employees checking email at 6 a.m., reflects what Microsoft has called an “infinite work day.” The findings are based on aggregated productivity signals through Feb. 15.
The late-night meetings can partially be attributed to a 35% increase in meetings spanning multiple time zones since 2021, now comprising nearly one-third of all meetings. Further, the average Microsoft user sends or receives more than 50 messages outside of traditional working hours, with 29% checking email again by 10 p.m.
In healthcare, evening meetings often take the form of rounding. Bob Duncan, executive vice president and COO of Connecticut Children’s, told Becker’s the system revamped its Leader Rounding program to better support front-line teams — allowing managers to select rounding times that work best, including during second and third shifts.
Microsoft also identified the busiest times for collaboration. Tuesday is the most meeting-heavy day of the week, and 11 a.m. is the most “overloaded” hour based on meetings, messages and emails.
Despite not being the busiest day, nearly half of employees said Monday morning meetings are scheduled too early in the week, according to a LinkedIn poll. Diane Fleischmann, vice president of client services at Korn Ferry Health, told Becker’s she recommends healthcare leaders replace long meetings with 15-minute, focused huddles to ease into the workweek.
Large meetings are also on the rise; those with 65 or more attendees are the fastest-growing category, Microsoft found.
At Denver Health, more than 400 leaders join leader huddles and management meetings. To reduce redundancies and boost engagement, the system eliminated overlapping content across the sessions, Chief Human Resources Officer Amy King told Becker’s.
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