Reduce unnecassary travel

When everyone worked in the same office, they met frequently and for short periods to discuss specific topics.  As teams became dispersed they would travel to “head office” perhaps once a month to discuss multiple topics in a single meeting.  This is unproductive for two reasons, (i) the wasted time spent travelling and (ii) the lack of focus on a specific topic.  Of course it may also mean that individuals may have to sit through a topic on the meeting agenda even though it has no relevance to them.  It is also possible that a key participant is not present when a decision is made because they could not arrange to travel to the meeting or they had to leave early.

Using virtual meetings means that you can gather people together without requiring travel.  Virtual meetings can be short and on a single topic.  All of the important people can attend virtually and time is not wasted in travel or for people not needed in that session.  You also help to offset the effect of time zones as people can attend meetings from home out of normal office hours.  Experience shows that most people prefer a one hour evening meeting from home to a two day travel commitment including a night away from home.