😵 Office Psychology: Meeting Overload, Solved

Hey, HR Rockstars! 👋 It’s Darwin Day, so let’s evolve our meetings. We’re unpacking the office psychology behind why some meetings feel so exhausting—and how HR can help teams conserve brainpower (and patience).

On today’s agenda:

😵 Office psychology + meeting ideas

🤔 DEI probe on Nike

👩‍💼 Women-friendly workplaces

THE HR SPOTLIGHT

😵 Office Psychology: Why Meetings Can Feel Exhausting + How to Avoid Overload

If your calendar is full but productivity feels empty, you’re not imagining it. Office psychology shows that how we meet matters just as much as how often we meet—and many meetings are quietly draining teams dry.

🔍 The Scene: Why Meetings Feel So Exhausting - Employees now spend a large share of their week in meetings, yet many leave feeling less focused than before because of:

• Cognitive load (too many brains, too much noise)

• The emotional labor factor

• Decision fatigue in disguise

• Video call exhaustion

• Too many voices, not enough purpose

• Power dynamics at play

Recent surveys show nearly 45% of workers feel overloaded by meetings, and most say fewer meetings would boost productivity. Unclear agendas, constant context switching, and back-to-back calls create mental fatigue that chips away at engagement and performance.

🚀 What HR Can Do: Meetings With Clear Purpose - Standardize clear agendas and outcomes so meetings start with purpose and end with decisions.

1. Normalize shorter meetings (25 or 45 minutes) to reduce cognitive overload and Zoom fatigue.

2. Use calendar analytics to spot meeting-heavy teams and protect focus time.

3. Train managers on facilitation skills to balance voices, manage time, and keep discussions on track.

4. Build in buffer time and encourage async updates to replace low-value syncs.

Sometimes the biggest productivity win is deleting the meeting—politely. 

📍 20 Out-of-the-Box Meeting Ideas »

😬 Gemini Cuts Jobs, Shuts Markets — Yahoo Finance 

• What’s unfolding: Crypto exchange Gemini is cutting about 25% of its workforce and exiting several international markets as it refocuses amid ongoing industry volatility.

• Why it matters: HR leaders should prepare for rapid restructuring cycles by strengthening workforce planning, change communications, and support for impacted employees.

• What’s unfolding: Gartner predicts gamification will be increasingly used to boost engagement and retention, especially in frontline and operational roles facing high turnover.

• Why it matters: HR teams should evaluate whether game-based incentives and feedback tools can improve motivation without feeling gimmicky or misaligned with culture.

• What’s unfolding: Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women 2026 highlights employers excelling in support, advancement, and workplace experience, based on feedback from 89,000+ women.

• Why it matters: The list reinforces how inclusive policies, clear career paths, and equitable cultures drive retention and engagement; HR teams can use it as a benchmark to strengthen women-focused talent and workplace strategies.

WEEKLY GOODY

COMPLIANCE CORNER

• What’s unfolding: The EEOC is investigating Nike over claims that its DEI programs disadvantaged white workers in layoffs, promotions, and development decisions.

• HR implications: This puts DEI practices under a sharper legal lens, pushing HR to ensure programs are job-related, well-documented, and compliant with Title VII.

• What’s unfolding: The U.S. government released over 64,000 additional H-2B visas for FY 2026 to support seafood processors and other seasonal employers.

• HR implications: HR teams should revisit workforce plans and visa timelines now, as the expanded cap offers short-term relief but still requires tight compliance.

🩺 Menstrual Accommodations Gain Momentum — NatLaw Review

• What’s unfolding: States are proposing laws that require workplace accommodations or leave for menstrual health conditions.

• HR implications: HR leaders may need to update leave and accommodation policies soon, as women’s health protections continue to expand at the state level.

BREAKROOM

📬 Missed Wednesday’s issue on ‘Skills-First Strategies’? Read it »