What did that "quick sync" actually cost?
Six people averaging $70,000 a year in a one-hour meeting cost about $202 in salary alone. Make it a weekly meeting and that's about $10,500 and 312 person-hours a year. Next time someone says "let's all hop on a call," open this ticker first.
How it's calculated
- Hourly rate per person = annual salary ÷ 12 ÷ (5 days × 52 ÷ 12 × 8 hours)
- Cost per second = attendees × hourly rate ÷ 3,600
- Meeting cost = attendees × hourly rate × minutes ÷ 60
- Yearly cost = meeting cost × times per week × 52
Only salary is counted — not benefits or payroll taxes — so this is a conservative estimate.
How to stop meetings from burning money
- Invite only the decision-makers. Everyone else can read the notes.
- Default to 25 minutes, not an hour. Meetings tend to fill whatever slot the calendar gives them.
- Send materials ahead. Spend the meeting deciding, not reading slides together.
- Review recurring meetings every quarter. A weekly meeting happens 52 times a year.
Curious how much of your own time disappears? Try the Real Hourly Wage Calculator.