Atlassian ran an internal challenge encouraging employees to replace traditional meetings with short Loom video updates. Over two weeks, this initiative freed up 5,000 hours previously spent in meetings, demonstrating how asynchronous video communication can enhance productivity and collaboration, especially in distributed teams.
- 5,000 meeting hours saved in two weeks
- 43% of Atlassians replaced meetings with Loom videos
- Increased video views and engagement during the challenge
What happened
Atlassian launched a company-wide challenge asking employees to replace just one meeting with a Loom video update over two weeks. The initiative targeted meetings where one person talks most of the time, including presentations, demos, and status reports. It aimed to reduce calendar overload and encourage asynchronous communication.
The challenge was supported by leadership, including co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, who incentivized participation by offering a $5,000 prize for home office upgrades. Clear messaging templates helped employees propose meeting replacements to their teams, and most participants watched the videos during their own schedules.
Why it matters
The challenge resulted in 5,000 hours reclaimed from meetings, allowing employees more uninterrupted focus time. Nearly half of Atlassians participated in replacing meetings with videos, indicating a strong appetite for alternative collaboration methods in a large, distributed company.
Engagement metrics showed a 1.5 times increase in video views and a 63% rise in emoji reactions, signaling that asynchronous video updates not only saved time but also maintained connection and responsiveness among teams working across time zones.
What to watch next
Atlassian plans to continue refining best practices for hybrid teamwork by encouraging more asynchronous video communication, especially for meetings involving one-way information sharing. They will likely explore how video tools can complement or replace other meeting formats for better productivity across distributed teams.
Other organizations observing Atlassian’s results may consider adopting similar challenges or policies, potentially transforming remote and hybrid meetings to reduce meeting fatigue while preserving collaboration and team alignment.