Where the date for the next meeting is set

A high-powered research firm has found that scheduling the next meeting was the only outcome in 98 percent of meetings in companies surveyed.  

Call us High-Powered or We Sue (CHPWS) also found that in 88 percent of the remaining two percent, the meetings decided on issues varying from what would be for lunch, what the menu would be for the next meeting, who would foot the bill and where the next corporate retreat would take place.

A total of 420 companies were surveyed for the study.

"We sent our representatives to observe meetings in each of the corporate houses and they took notes on what happened," said Kobe Bosh Ben, the lead researcher, during a press conference on Friday.

"What they found is very important as it gives us a window into corporate culture, and how important meetings are.

"For example, we found that in as much as 0.5 percent of the meetings, actual decisions regarding the company's direction are taken. That is huge."

According to the findings, around one minute of every eight hourlong meetings on average is spent on talking about work. Other than issues already mentioned, the remaining time is spent on praising the boss's various initiatives and guidance, the good work they did since the last meeting, and talking negatively about those not in the meeting.

It was found that men aged 40 or above spend an average of 20 minutes per meeting unironically discussing sports and how they have the foolproof method to improve the national cricket team.

Another 15 minutes on average are spent on making sure that the three female members in a typical meeting of 30 people get to speak, and five additional minutes are taken up by a man explaining what they meant.  

"This is the most comprehensive study of its kind," said Kobe. 

"It could have been even more in-depth, of course, but we had a meeting on whether we should do that, and then we ran out of time."