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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed at my colleague?

236 replies

PandaAndLionRoar · 13/12/2024 22:00

I was in an all day meeting with the board/C suite in work today. My colleague/friend was in work but not in the meeting with me. It was her last day before MAT leave and it was coming up to 5pm and I was still in my meeting with the board so she came to the meeting room and interrupted my meeting by knocking on the door and then asking for me and saying “I’m sorry to interrupt but can I have a quick world please, it’s urgent”. It turns out she didn’t have anything urgent that she needed me for but she just wanted to say bye to me before she goes on MAT leave and knew that I wouldn’t be out of my meeting before 5pm when she left the building so she decide to interrupt my meeting to say bye instead. I feel a bit annoyed that she interrupted the whole meeting just to say bye to me whilst I was in a meeting with the board, fair enough if it was something urgent but it wasn’t. She could have just phoned me later to say bye if she wanted. AIBU to be a little annoyed with my colleague for interrupting my meeting just to say bye? She took me out the meeting room and just said that she just wanted to say bye to me before she goes on MAT leave and then we chatted for 2 minutes and that was it, nothing urgent at all!

OP posts:
AnonyMouse80 · 14/12/2024 16:01

God there’s a lot of sneery judgmental responses on here.

It’s not worth holding a grudge over (and maybe not worth posting on mumsnet!) but I agree she shouldn’t have interrupted a board meeting with a non-urgent personal matter.

I work in the charity sector and attend trustee meetings as part of my job, I wouldn’t interrupt them to say goodbye to a colleague.

BoyzIIMen · 14/12/2024 15:59

C-suite?

I've worked in large corporations most of my life and it's not a phrase that I've ever come across.

We all just say "Board meeting".

It sounds like a pretentious Americanism.

Sayoonara · 14/12/2024 15:55

OP has said she's not on the board, she was in the meeting as a Project Lead.

C-Suite is a completely normal corporate term.

YANBU OP, it wasn't professional at all of your colleague. Completely different to choose to step out for 2 minutes at a suitable time, to having someone interrupt mid-meeting for no good reason.

SeAmableSiempre · 14/12/2024 15:51

CurlyhairedAssassin · 13/12/2024 23:15

Is this some kind of AI-generated post? Lots of weird repetition.

Doubt it’s AI, it would be written with more professionalism.

UndeniablyGenX · 14/12/2024 15:49

SeAmableSiempre · 14/12/2024 15:43

OP, are you really as highly educated as you make out? Your posts suggests otherwise given the grammatical errors, lack of punctuation and repetitiveness of certain words. For example, ‘in to’ rather than ‘into’, ‘took’ rather than ‘taken’’.
For anyone who has taken a university degree or above, academic writing becomes habitual and is part of cultivating a professional formal tone for life.
Your posts do not lend credibility to the level of intelligence that one would require to be in a senior position. I’m thinking your post is some kind of joke or written for attention.

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I've seen all kinds of howlers in informal emails from our execs. They weren't appointed for their command of written English; they have other people to tidy up their official communications.

SeAmableSiempre · 14/12/2024 15:43

PandaAndLionRoar · 13/12/2024 22:59

When she first took me out of the meeting and said that it was just to say goodbye I honestly did think that was sweet and I was more than happy to say goodbye and I didn’t have a problem with it at that point. It was when I went back in to the meeting and everyone was asking me what the “urgent” thing was that she needed me for, that was the point when I started to feel awkward about it and a bit annoyed that she had took me out of the meeting to say bye.

Edited

OP, are you really as highly educated as you make out? Your posts suggests otherwise given the grammatical errors, lack of punctuation and repetitiveness of certain words. For example, ‘in to’ rather than ‘into’, ‘took’ rather than ‘taken’’.
For anyone who has taken a university degree or above, academic writing becomes habitual and is part of cultivating a professional formal tone for life.
Your posts do not lend credibility to the level of intelligence that one would require to be in a senior position. I’m thinking your post is some kind of joke or written for attention.

RedHelenB · 14/12/2024 13:26

PandaAndLionRoar · 14/12/2024 07:12

Because she had already told them it was something “urgent”.

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Fair enough.

LynetteScavo · 14/12/2024 12:20

At least she didn't stick her head around the door and say "Bye bye, I'm off on maternity leave now." That would have been unprofessional.

I hate it when people pretend something is urgent and only I can deal with it though (they probably think that's the case). That's the bit that would have annoyed me, not that she interrupted the meeting. And it was an all day meeting. I'd have probably been glad to have the opportunity to step out.

luckylavender · 14/12/2024 12:02

I can't believe how many people are criticising workplace practices they know so little about.

YellowAsteroid · 14/12/2024 12:00

YANBU.

Have no idea why most posters think you’re unreasonable. Your colleague was unprofessional and quite self-centred.

brunettemic · 14/12/2024 11:39

Firstly, your humble bragging skills are awful. Secondly, it’s nice that she wanted to do that. Thirdly, unless your exec board are morons they won’t have cared, they certainly don’t where I work. Fourthly, I hope she finds some nicer friends.

Bloom15 · 14/12/2024 11:38

78Summer · 13/12/2024 23:11

I work in the c suite and most meetings appear to be a load of high level woffle with the main thing attained the date of the next meeting. Two minutes is not a long time to be out of the meeting.

Completely agree.

This all sounds a bit pretentious

Mnetcurious · 14/12/2024 11:35

So surprised at the poll result!
In my opinion yanbu. Yes it’s a shame she couldn’t say goodbye in person but absolutely not a good enough reason to interrupt an important meeting with execs. She could have messaged or called “so sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye face to face as you were in a meeting etc”.

littlehorsesthatrun · 14/12/2024 11:25

luckylavender · 14/12/2024 10:55

Everyone in my world

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My husband, sister and dad are all chief execs and all think the term is embarrassing

Bloom15 · 14/12/2024 11:24

comedycentral · 13/12/2024 22:12

Jeez, I'm not sure I know how to articulate this in words but it's just a meeting, with people who feel like they are super super important- but in the grand scheme of your life, that meeting will not be significant to you, you won't remember it. What you will remember is moments with family and friends, that's what you need to put at the top of the super important list. Saying goodbye to colleagues on the last day before mat leave can be super emotional for some people.

Exactly! I used to be a PA to the board of my company. They are just normal people and none of them would have minded this.

Work pays wages - that's it

curtaintwitcher78 · 14/12/2024 11:20

Do you always capitalise mat leave?

Alalalala · 14/12/2024 11:17

PandaAndLionRoar · 14/12/2024 07:12

Because she had already told them it was something “urgent”.

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What posters are asking is why you didn’t drop her in it with the C suite OP. If you felt embarrassed, why didn’t you put the blame on someone who had misrepresented the urgency of the situation for their own needs.

But I understand why you didn’t! Very awkward for you but I’m sure it won’t have any repercussions for you. Your friend was wrong to lie but, pregnancy hormones do have an impact so she probably wouldn’t have done it otherwise!

TheSeagullsSquawk · 14/12/2024 11:13

I get you felt put on spot by Execs - she was wrong to pull you out of meeting for it. However if you manage any people the all purpose answer in these circs is 'staffing issue - it's dealt with' and they usually loose interest.

MildredSauce · 14/12/2024 11:04

Chopbob · 14/12/2024 11:01

What a souless, tedious thread. What a world we live in.

Yeah but have you seen the other threads today? Clearly it's Silly Season!!!

Chopbob · 14/12/2024 11:01

What a souless, tedious thread. What a world we live in.

luckylavender · 14/12/2024 10:55

KatyaKat · 13/12/2024 22:13

YABU for using the term 'c-suite'...who does that?! 😂

Everyone in my world

luckylavender · 14/12/2024 10:54

@PandaAndLionRoar - with you OP. I'd be furious.

Bejinxed · 14/12/2024 10:44

starstar84 · 14/12/2024 00:08

You said yourself it was two minutes. Get over yourself! And it’s on you for not saying goodbye before going into a meeting that you knew would mean you’d miss her on a really important day for her.

You could at least try to read the OP's posts.

Manara · 14/12/2024 10:39

Feelinadequate23 · 13/12/2024 23:54

They literally decide your salary, bonus and career prospects, so yes they are pretty important to me.

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Exactly!

Manara · 14/12/2024 10:38

Winesoup · 13/12/2024 23:30

I'm shocked at how many people are turning on the OP because they don't get the corporate world, and refuse to believe her that leaving the meeting was a big deal for her, as it pissed of the senior executives and Board, which is undoubtedly why they asked what the interruption was for. The OP has to deal with their egos, and her colleague should have been aware of this.

There are a lot of pps enjoying putting the boot into the OP while telling her she should have been kinder to her colleague who was leaving.

Well said