“This has to stop. It’s disrespectful. It wastes time.”
That’s a quote from Jamie Dimon’s April 2025 annual letter to shareholders. To what was the JP Morgan Chase CEO referring? The widespread practice of people reading and responding to texts, e-mails, and other electronic notifications while they’re in a meeting with others.
It’s an infuriating workplace dynamic that has become even more prevalent with organizations’ increased reliance on digital communication tools.
And it’s not just a remote work problem. People are routinely checking out mentally from meetings they attend, whether in-person or virtual (though increased use of videoconferences has no doubt exacerbated the issue).
Workers have long groused about how useless business meetings are – too many attendees, ill-defined objectives, ambiguous agendas, poorly managed discussions, an absence of ownership and follow-up – the list goes on and on. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, now, on top of all these same deficiencies, many meeting participants aren’t just not listening, they’re actively doing something else.
The most brazen offenders don’t even attempt to hide it. Others try to be more subtle, convincing themselves that their multitasking is invisible to everyone else. But there’s no mistaking the telltale signs – the prolonged, dead-eye stare into a laptop screen or the constant downward gaze onto a smartphone display.
It’s discourteous. It’s unproductive. And it’s the kind of environmental cue that leads other employees to question their life choices.
The good news, though, is that of all the toxic traits in today’s workplaces, this one, in relative terms, can actually be pretty straightforward for businesspeople to address. Here’s how:
1. Establish boundaries and stay focused.
In our always-on-call, perpetually-wired-in, distraction-filled workplaces, it’s imperative to set boundaries to protect yourself from interruptions. Not only is that a way to maintain focus and safeguard your sanity, but it also signals respect for any coworkers who you might be engaging with at a particular moment in time. A boundary could be as simple as a personal commitment to mute your phone upon joining any meeting and to put the device to the side, face down, so you’re less tempted to glance at an incoming text. Whatever trick or technique you use, the goal is to stay engaged when in the company of others – maintaining eye contact, and actively listening and participating in the meeting.
2. Set an example for your colleagues.
This is a particularly important point for anyone in a leadership role, because employees will take their cue from you. If you’re not 100% invested in the meeting at hand, then no one else will be, either. Furthermore, staff will interpret your in-meeting multitasking as a license to do it themselves in other gatherings that they lead or attend. Be the model that you want other meeting participants to emulate: Arrive on time, come prepared, put unneeded devices away, and be fully present for the duration of the discussion.
3. Promote patience, and also respect for others’ time.
Sometimes, meeting attendees shift their attention away because they’re just plain bored or disinterested. That might indicate an issue with basic meeting management – inviting the right people, articulating clear objectives, and focusing the conversation (all critically important tasks in their own right). Other times, however, attendees’ attention is pulled from the meeting not because of their own wandering mind, but because someone else (usually someone higher in the management chain who’s not in the meeting) is asking for something now.
When employees feel like every e-mail, text, or chat message requires an immediate response, then they will never be able to focus on anything. Leaders should set clear but tempered expectations for what being “responsive” to a colleague’s request means. Furthermore, they should explain how to communicate a request when true urgency is required – because if everything is urgent, if interruptions are the norm rather than the exception, then nothing gets done.
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It’s time to call in-meeting digital diversions what they really are: Not admirable nor necessary multitasking (which is highly unproductive, for the record) – but bona fide acts of workplace incivility. If you want to foster a company culture where employees feel valued and appreciated, then start by giving them the unrivaled gift of your undivided attention.
[A version of this article originally appeared on Forbes.com.]
Jon Picoult is founder of Watermark Consulting, a customer experience advisory firm that helps companies impress customers and inspire employees, creating raving fans that drive business growth. Author of “FROM IMPRESSED TO OBSESSED: 12 Principles for Turning Customers and Employees into Lifelong Fans,” Picoult is also an acclaimed keynote speaker, as well as an advisor to some of the world’s foremost brands. Follow Jon on LinkedIn or Instagram, or subscribe to his monthly eNewsletter.
