How much does one team meeting cost — and are you willing to pay for it?
We price a regular meeting over a year and look at when that money pays off and when it is simply wasted.
Take an ordinary weekly sync: eight people, one hour, an average loaded cost of $40 per working hour.
The math
- The hour itself: 8 × $40 = $320.
- With prep and follow-up tail — about $800.
- Weekly, 48 weeks a year: ~$38,000 a year for one sync.
This is not a reason to cancel every meeting. It is a reason to ask the question that almost never gets asked: are we getting $38,000 worth of results?
Three questions before a recurring meeting
- What would change if we skipped it? If the answer is “nothing”, it is an expensive ritual.
- Which decision is made only here? Exchanging status is not a decision. Status can be read in two minutes.
- Who could stay out? If someone is silent for the whole hour, they are either not needed or would be fine with written notes.
How to make it cheaper without losing value
- Status in writing before the meeting. Only items that need discussion go on the call.
- One person owns the outcome, and it lands in tasks immediately, not “later”.
- A timer. A 25-minute meeting instead of 60 forces focus.
- If you don’t need a live call, use the task chat: the discussion stays next to the work and doesn’t require everyone online at once.
Show the price to your team
A simple practice: put the cost of the meeting in the invite. When everyone sees “$320 per hour”, the agenda conversation gets serious. You can manage schedules and invites in the Branzy calendar.
Willing to pay for a meeting — great, pay deliberately. Not willing — you just found your first candidate for cancellation.