Meetings are an inescapable part of our daily work lives. Before the pandemic, employees spent over 20 hours a week in meetings on average.  While the assumption would have been that this trend currently declines; however, with the current video conferencing boom, only the medium has changed and with people returning back to the office, the trend may return just with more compliance in place. No matter the approach, here is Roomzilla’s cheat sheet to seamless meeting room reservations with conference room scheduling software.

Rule #1

Schedule the appropriate amount of time for your needs. Think of this as the Goldilocks rule: you don’t want too much time, leaving the conference room unused, but you also shouldn’t have to rush your meeting or be pushed out by the team that booked the meeting space after you. Consider your needs carefully to find the amount of time that’s just right!  Fortunately, with our platform, you can manage such situations optimally.

Rule #2

Always make a reservation. Even at the last minute (like you can do with Roomzilla). If you see the conference room is unoccupied, check with whoever runs your office or shared office schedule and make it official before you bring in the rest of your team.

Rule #3

Reserve and Cancel as far in advance as possible. This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to put off this important step until it’s too late. We’ve observed in our office that popular meeting times tend to be between 10am and 2pm. It can be very difficult to make a 10am reservation for the room you want if you’re coming in at 9am to make it. If you book a day or two ahead of time, you’ve got a much better shot at getting the room that’s the best fit for your needs. Similarly, if the meeting has to be cancelled or rescheduled, cancel the reservation immediately to free the space up for others. However, don’t make a reservation to hold space “just in case.” Others may have a real need for the room, only to find it blocked off.

Rule #4

Don’t double-book. Double-booking could mean two teams book the same room at the same time, or it could mean two conference rooms are booked by the same team. No one intends for this to happen, but it can mean a significant loss of productivity. Conference booking software, like that offered by Roomzilla, can make this easier for everyone in the office.

Rule #5

Use the meeting rooms for meetings only. In a shared office space, it’s tempting to try to find a place where you can shut the door behind you, but that’s not a responsible use of the room or of your colleague’s time. Talk to your office manager to find a quiet desk if you need it.

Rule #6

Scale your conference space to the size of your team, considering distancing compliance nowadays. Are you booking a small brainstorming session with only four people? Find a small conference room or all-purpose room (don’t forget to reserve that too!). Too many participants and not enough office chairs? Plan ahead and look for conference room rentals in other conference venues. Your efficiency and productivity will vastly improve if nobody feels cramped, and so will everyone’s safety.

Rule #7

Be considerate of the audio visual needs of the office. If your meeting requires advanced technology or participants will be calling in or video conferencing, make sure you consider those needs when you make your reservation. But if you don’t need any special AV systems, choose a space that reflects your needs, leaving the technology available to others. With a system like Roomzilla, you can see what equipment and features are in each room.

Rule #8

Let your office managers handle any disagreements. Double bookings or meetings running over time can be stressful, especially in time-sensitive cases. If conflicts arise, bring in a neutral employee like an office manager to help resolve the issue.

Rule #9

Clean up after yourself with hygiene now being an important element of the meeting room.  Make sure you keep the conference table and office chairs clean and that the wastebaskets aren’t overflowing. Don’t forget to ask everyone to ensure they take all their belongings including those coffee mugs with them!  Food in the conference room, well it wasn’t really good etiquette to begin with but now, it is definitely not acceptable.

Rule #10

Post these rules outside the conference room. Putting company policies in easy-to-spot locations helps keep every employee honest. It’s harder to say you didn’t know a reservation was necessary if the rules are in plain view.

Sometimes it seems like our workplaces have too many rules, but keeping to these guidelines will keep everyone in your office, from the janitorial staff to the executives, happy and more productive.  Now it’s needed more than ever before.