Construction

Workplace Meetings
Types of Meetings
General Meeting Agenda
Site Meeting Agenda

Workplace Meetings

An effective workplace meeting relies upon the group of people having a clear understanding of the purpose of the meeting and its procedures. Meetings vary between informal meetings of employees through semi-formal meetings on site regarding work procedures, to formal meetings involving managers, developers, architects and regulatory officials.

An effective meeting is one that takes a minimum time to achieve its objectives and satisfies all participants.

Some meetings, like a school assembly, are held to pass on information.  The participants face the leader and communication is usually one-way.  These are an effective way to pass information to a large group of people. They must be well planned to be effective.  Other meetings are called to make decisions.  These meetings should have a much smaller number (around 12 maximum) and should have the participants facing each other as the participants are required to discuss points and make decisions.  A well-planned agenda helps these meetings.

It is vital that all participants work co-operatively in meetings to achieve the goals of the meeting.  It is often said that a good meeting is a short meeting.  This implies that time wasting should be avoided and the meeting should remain focused on the task at hand.

Types of Meetings

Common meetings on a building site may include the following types:

• General Meetings – involve all major participants in the project.
• Union Meetings – many sites will have meetings to discuss important work issues.  Some sites require the meetings to be held outside work hours or sites.  These meetings normally follow a set agenda and are run by elected leaders.
• Committee Meetings – these include such meetings as OH&S committees.
• Technical Meetings – to discuss technical aspects of the project.  These meetings usually involve the appropriate experts and supervisors.
• Management Meetings – involve the project management and contractors.  These meetings will deal with project safety, sequencing, delays etc.
• Informal Meetings (sometimes called toolbox meetings) – these meetings involve the foreman and appropriate trades personnel in meetings to discuss their issues.

Larger sites require regular meetings to ensure good communication and dissemination of information.  Small sites may have their meetings when the day ends or even less frequently. Some meetings are held offsite, depending on the people involved.

Memos or written instructions may be issued following a meeting to ensure that important information is passed on to all the appropriate personnel.

Agendas are an effective way to inform and control a meeting.  Examples of a meeting agenda are given below.

General Meeting Agenda

Purpose of Meeting ………………………………………………….
Location	Room ABC
Date	12 January 2003
Start	10:30 am
Finish	12 noon
Items	Welcome and apologies
	Objectives of the meeting
	Introduction
	Possible solutions
	Decision regarding solutions
	Planning actions
	Assigning tasks
	General business
	Close

Site Meeting Agenda

Weekly Site Meeting - Fred's Constructions
Location	Site Shed
Date	___/___/___
Start	___________
Finish	___________
Items	Welcome and apologies
	Previous minutes
	Business arising
	Builder's report
	Architect's/ engineer's report
	Information / reports required
	Variations to routine
	Delays / Safety issues
	General business
Closure	___________
Next Meeting	___/___/___