Boneyard Tools

The true cost of meetings and how to cut it

Why meetings cost more than they look, how to price them with a loaded hourly rate, and practical ways to shrink the bill.

Open the Meeting Cost Calculator →

Salaries are the meeting bill

Every person in a meeting is being paid for that time whether the discussion moves work forward or not. A one hour meeting with eight people paid an average of 75 per hour costs the business 600 before you count any preparation or follow-up. Because that spending is buried inside existing payroll, it rarely appears on a budget line, which is exactly why it grows unchecked. Putting a concrete number on it, as this calculator does, makes the trade-off visible and easier to challenge.

Use a loaded rate, not base pay

Base salary understates what an employee actually costs. Benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, software and office overhead typically add 25 to 40 percent on top, so a fully-loaded rate gives a truer figure. Convert an annual salary to an hourly base by dividing by roughly 2,080 working hours, then multiply by about 1.3 to load it. Feeding that loaded number into the calculator keeps your meeting estimates honest rather than flattering.

Where the cost per minute helps

The cost per minute figure reframes overruns in a way people feel. When a recurring meeting of ten mid-level staff runs even ten minutes long, the cost per minute makes the waste obvious rather than abstract. It also exposes the price of a bloated invite list: adding one more attendee raises every minute of the meeting. Sharing that per-minute number at the top of an agenda is a simple nudge toward starting on time and ending early.

Practical ways to lower the number

Once you can see the cost, the levers are straightforward. Trim the guest list to people who must decide or contribute, since cost scales directly with headcount. Shorten the default slot, because halving 60 minutes to 30 halves the bill. Replace status updates with a written note where a live discussion adds nothing. Re-running the calculator with a smaller group or a shorter duration shows the saving instantly and gives you a figure to put in front of the team.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a fully-loaded rate?

It is base pay plus the extra costs of employing someone: benefits, payroll taxes, equipment and overhead. It usually lands around 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary.

How much can shortening a meeting save?

The cost is linear with time, so cutting a meeting from 60 to 30 minutes halves the total. The calculator shows the exact new figure when you change the duration.

Should I include preparation and follow-up time?

This tool prices only the meeting itself. If prep and follow-up are significant, add those minutes to the duration or run a second calculation to capture the full commitment.