Wondering if colleague did this on purpose

I was feeling the same way. Businesses have their own "culture" and processes. Clearly, it's normal in this one to be reached by a member of the team when a client or visitor arrives. That happens in many places where you arrive, you are told they will find your person of contact, and then you are guided inside. The visitor was from the same company but another division, they won't feel put out because the host was wrapping up a previous meeting. In any case, they weren't even told. The support person they have on hire to do several tasks across teams decided not to check and answer OP wasn't there. I think that's unprofessional.

Ah behave.

Not turning up to meet them until 10 mins after your meeting started, letting your previous meeting over run is fine.

But text is unprofessional? Give over.

It really comes across you know this is, at least, partly your fault and trying to shift the blame.

If you work in an environment where you think digital communication is frowned upon (which is bizarre), then if you want to avoid your exact scenario you should make absolutely sure to be there early, so you don't have to rely on it.

Missing your own meeting which you set up months ago seems way more unprofessional than a text/email or waiting in reception for 5-10 minutes.

I just laughed out loud at this.

Texting them is unprofessional, yet letting them turn up for a big, important meeting, and you essentially being a no show, is okay? Hardly the height of professionalism there!

Informing people where a meeting is being held or that you are delayed is "deeply unprofessional"?

As opposed to scheduling a meeting with a bunch of people you know are busy, not bothering your arse to turn up and putting all the blame on a junior member of staff?

I just feel sorry for this poor office junior, who has to put up with this kind of nonsense behaviour from senior colleagues, who she is supposedly meant to be learning from and looking up to, whilst being accused of doing what ever it is that clearly she did not do, on “”purpose”. In her original post the OP said about her junior colleague that; “She has form for doing things “to prove a point”. This probably can be translated to mean that she is just sticking up for her self, after having been made to feel disrespected by her senior colleagues.

And to let us know colleague has been barred from her department.

Sounds like a win for 'huffy' colleague.

This post is a bit odd, in that the OP refuses to say what actually really happened. In which case why did she post other than to make herself better about her own mistake?

Oh come on, you have to give us a bit more than that!!

The way she treated them? Was she rude?

I think we’ll have to disagree on this one. It’s getting late. Night.

What did OP say that makes you think she saw the system as far from fool proof?

From what I read it seems like it’s worked just fine until this. OP hasn’t mentioned ever needing to wait for anyone before or that she’s missed other meetings because no one’s greeted the visitors or has sent them away, nor that anyone else in her office has had to wait by the entrance in case the staff already there who normally facilitate visits decide to assume people have turned up for a meeting that doesn’t exist and just send them away without being curious enough to find out for sure or see if someone else can help them.

I didn't read it quite like that. It sounded vaguer that being 'tasked', more that it was an expectation from a member of staff who also had other things to do.
Anyway, the woman in question hadn't been told that this meeting was happening, and OP doesn't normally work Fridays, so it is unsurprising that when the visitors arrived and asked for her, she told them that she doesn't work Fridays.
My point really is that OP knew perfectly well that the system for greeting and directing visitors was far from foolproof, but did nothing herself to ensure it went smoothly, eg by texting the visitors in the morning to confirm the meeting and say exactly where she'd be, or asking them to phone her mobile if there was a problem, or even specifically asking the colleague in question to find her when they arrived. Nothing at all, but she entirely blames this junior colleague for not guessing that she'd be in on a day when she never is. It is really unfair.

That isn’t what OP has said at all.

She’s said the department has a rotating set of floating colleagues from other teams (including this particular colleague) who, when they are working in her department, are tasked with ensuring visitors get shown to the right place. These floating staff have different responsibilities when they work elsewhere, but in her department, that is one of their tasks.

You were completely clear in your op as to what was going on. The replies you’ve received are completely bonkers. I assume most of those replying have never worked in a team where if people have each others backs things can work and run smoothly.

Of course she didn't.

In OPs place of work there is no reception, just a colleague from another team sitting near the door who OP hadn’t told about her meeting or even that she was in work that day. There was nobody except OP to make sure the guests were in the right place and she didn’t bother!

Ironic as your workplace sounds deeply unprofessional anyway 😂

“Yeah, she turned them away”. Can I ask again, did you specifically tell her that you will be in on that Friday, and specifically, that there will be a meeting on that Friday, at that specific time?

Do you really leave clients waiting 5-10 minutes whilst you finish your work?

I am self employed so don’t work in an office anymore so maybe things have changed but I wouldn’t like to leave people waiting. Sounds rude to me.

I understand that it wasn’t appropriate for the OP to go and wait in reception for her clients. But she could have made herself visible - by going back to her desk and giving the employee the heads up to fetch her straight away (or let her know which meeting room she would be in).

Back in my day we’d have the meeting room all ready and be waiting for the clients. It seems things have changed.

>If I have clients arrive I’ll continue on with my work until I get the call from reception that they have arrived. Even then I’ll finish what I’m doing if it’s 5-10 mins then head to the room.

Absolutely respectless. This is only excusable if you have a system in place to greet them and provide drinks etc. Even then, I would make every effort to be there myself before the client.
Vendors, it's a bit different because they want to sell you something.

>Who goes to wait for clients 10 mins before? Who has time for that?

I think you're just telling on yourself for having poor time management.

Any of my clients who were told by a member of staff that I was t in would leave, annoyed, and go about the rest of their day. They’re not going to go ok thanks for that but I’m calling her anyway. Does no one on here work in a professional environment? If I have clients arrive I’ll continue on with my work until I get the call from reception that they have arrived. Even then I’ll finish what I’m doing if it’s 5-10 mins then head to the room. This is NOT on you OP. Who goes to wait for clients 10 mins before? Who has time for that?

I am really sorry that no one in your adult working life has taught you that it is your responsibility to handle your own shit.

You took four months organising a meeting and you couldn't be bothered to let reception know about it on the day, book a meeting room, or send one simple text to the attendees about where you were at the expected meeting time.

Shirking responsibility might feel good in the moment, but this sort of thing is going to keep happening to you until you take charge. Mummy and daddy can't bail you out forever.