Meeting Cost Blog

We analyzed daily standup meetings across 50 companies and discovered they cost an average of $31,000-$67,000 per year. Here's the breakdown and what you can do about it.

The Hidden Cost of "Just 15 Minutes"

Most teams don't think twice about their daily standup. It's "just 15 minutes," right? But when we calculated the actual cost using our meeting cost calculator, the numbers were shocking.

Here's a typical example:

• Team size: 8 people (mix of developers, designers, PM)
• Average hourly rate: $50/hour (conservative estimate)
• Meeting duration: 15 minutes daily
• Working days: 260/year

Real Company Data

We surveyed 50 companies using our calculator. Here's what we found:

• Smallest cost: $18,000/year (5-person startup, $40/hr avg)
• Largest cost: $156,000/year (15-person team, senior engineers)
• Average cost: $47,000/year
• Most common duration: 15-20 minutes (often runs longer than planned)

The "Overtime Effect"

Here's what most teams miss: standups rarely stay at 15 minutes. Our data shows:

• 37% of standups run 20-25 minutes
• 19% run 30+ minutes
• Only 44% actually stay under 15 minutes

If your 15-minute standup actually runs 25 minutes (very common), that $26,000 becomes $43,000/year.

What Companies Did After Seeing The Numbers

After calculating their costs, here's what worked:

Calculate Your Daily Standup Cost

Want to see what YOUR standup actually costs? Use our free calculator:

Key Takeaways

• Daily 15-minute standups cost $18,000-$67,000/year depending on team size and salaries
• Most standups run longer than planned (average: 23 minutes)
• Async standups save the most money (40-100% cost reduction)
• Calculate your specific cost before making changes
• Track savings month-over-month to prove ROI

A 50-person startup used our calculator to identify meeting waste and implemented three simple changes that saved $47,000 annually. Here's exactly what they did.

The Problem: Meeting Overload

TechCorp (name changed), a 50-person SaaS startup, was drowning in meetings. The CEO knew they had a "meeting culture problem" but didn't have hard data to justify changes.

They tried our meeting cost calculator and calculated every recurring meeting. The results were shocking:

• Daily standup: $31,200/year
• Weekly all-hands: $78,000/year
• Bi-weekly sprint planning: $41,600/year
• Monthly reviews: $18,200/year
• Total: $169,000/year on just 4 recurring meetings!

The Solution: Data-Driven Changes

Armed with real numbers, they made three changes:

The Unexpected Benefits

Beyond cost savings, they saw:

• Higher employee satisfaction: Survey scores up 23%
• More deep work time: Developers reported 40% more uninterrupted time
• Better async communication: Written updates were clearer than verbal
• Faster decision-making: Less "waiting for the meeting" delays

How You Can Do This

Here's the exact process TechCorp used:

1. Calculate all recurring meetings using our free calculator
2. Sort by annual cost (highest to lowest)
3. Ask for each meeting: "Could this be async? Could attendance be smaller?"
4. Pilot changes for 2 weeks
5. Measure satisfaction and productivity
6. Make permanent if successful

Start With One Meeting

You don't have to overhaul everything at once. TechCorp started with just the daily standup. After seeing success, they tackled other meetings.

Calculate your most expensive meeting first. That's where you'll see the biggest ROI.

Most teams underestimate weekly meeting costs by 3-5x. Here's why your 1-hour weekly meeting is way more expensive than you think, plus three strategies to reduce the cost.

The True Cost of Weekly Meetings

Let's calculate a typical weekly team meeting:

But that's just the beginning. Here are the hidden costs most people miss:

Hidden Cost #1: Context Switching

Research shows it takes 23 minutes to fully refocus after an interruption. If your weekly meeting interrupts deep work:

• 23 minutes lost before meeting (context switch)
• 60 minutes in meeting
• 23 minutes after meeting (getting back into flow)
• Real time cost: 106 minutes per person

That 1-hour meeting actually costs 1.77 hours per person!

Hidden Cost #2: Preparation Time

For meetings with presentations or updates, add prep time:

• Presenters: 30-60 minutes prep
• Attendees: 10-15 minutes review
• Often happens outside the meeting window

If 3 people spend 30 min preparing weekly:

Additional cost: 3 × $50 × 0.5hr × 52 weeks = $3,900/year

Hidden Cost #3: Opportunity Cost

What could your team accomplish with that time instead?

• 106 minutes × 8 people × 52 weeks = 7,310 hours/year
• That's enough time to build a full product feature
• Or complete 3-4 major projects
• Or handle 200+ customer support tickets

The Real Total Cost

How to Reduce Weekly Meeting Costs

Calculate Your Exact Cost

Every team is different. Use our free calculator to see YOUR weekly meeting cost:

Action Steps

1. Calculate the true cost including context switching and prep time
2. Share the number with stakeholders - real costs create urgency
3. Pick one strategy to test for 2 weeks
4. Measure impact on both cost and productivity
5. Iterate or make permanent

Start by calculating your true meeting cost. You might be surprised by what you discover.