Episode

The $259B Problem Hiding in Your Meetings — and How to Solve It

Podcast
It Gets Late Early
Published
Sep 30, 2025
Duration seconds
2541
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://www.itgetslateearly.com/
Audio
https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/6d48865a-39ce-42fc-b048-a6ffb464cf47.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/it-gets-late-early-6096744/episodes/the-259b-problem-hiding-in-your-meetings-and-how-to-solve-it
Markdown
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Summary

Meetings. Ugh. We’ve all been there, right? And the price tag is bigger than most people realize. We estimate that the cost to organizations of these unproductive meetings is approximately $259 billion in the United States and $64 billion in the United Kingdom for professional staff alone ( LSE report ). That’s a jaw-dropping drain on productivity—yet it’s largely preventable. In today’s episode of It Gets Late Early , I’m joined by Dr. Daniel Jolles, a behavioral scientist and psychologist at the London School of Economics, who’s back for his second appearance. Dr. Jolles and I go deep into the world of generational diversity in meetings, exploring how getting it right can significantly boost productivity and reduce wasted hours. We’re also tackling the elephant in the room: AI in the workplace. With organizations now mandating the use of AI, how can we, across all generations, navigate this technology without falling victim to bias or further exclusion? We cover the shocking stats about how unproductive meetings cost businesses billions each year and how companies can make sure that no one, especially older workers, gets left behind in the AI race. Trust me, this episode is a wake-up call. If you’re looking to fix your meetings, ensure inclusivity, and stay ahead in the AI-driven future, you don’t want to miss it. “We find that there's a huge lack of generational diversity happening in our meetings. Our research suggests that that's hurting productivity because there are diversity benefits to be gained by having voices from the younger and older employees present in meetings, especially when it comes to big-decision meetings.”  ~ Dr. Daniel Jolles In This Episode: -Why employees are not that fond of meetings -The impact of generational diversity on meetings -The…