Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Work meeting etiquette

84 replies

Meetingtimes · 06/05/2025 20:37

just been on back to back meetings all day again, and feeling so frustrated with with following;

  • General update meeting - everyone has a 5 min slot, people going over this consistently with absolute drivel nobody needs to know about, prompts that there time is up, but carry on in the weeds
  • Meeting running over, some smart arse asks a question that could of been asked directly to the person at a later time
  • No cameras on, even by the presenters, I kid you not I once did a full days training with an external trainer and they didn’t switch their camera on once!
  • Having an open calendar policy, but still getting diary clashing invites
  • Not responding to an invite at all
  • leaving your mic on instead of just having a default so it mutes on calls with 10s of people

I might just be stressed (from all the tedious meetings) but why do people do this, especially the first 2?!?

OP posts:
NameChangedForThisOne236 · 06/05/2025 21:54

I’m guessing Public Sector, possibly Civil Service?!! I’ve had 27 years in the Public Sector and this is my life 😢, especially now we work from home. We seem to have meetings about meetings which annoy me so much.

And my boss could talk for England! He makes our hourly team meeting over run by at least 20 mins every week 🤷‍♀️ Oh and then there’s the awful bit at the end of meetings when the chair asks if anyone has any questions. Most normal people just say no, but there’s always some smart arse who just has to say something and holds us all up. I just glare at them 😤

Redflagsabounded · 06/05/2025 21:53

People waffle and meetings over-run if there's a rubbish chair/organiser who can't manage a meeting.

I have quite a lot of meetings but it's rare to have time wasters as we all want to get them done as quickly as possible. It's a very busy place - I suspect time wasters don't have much actual work to be getting on with.

MoominMai · 06/05/2025 21:52

londongirl12 · 06/05/2025 21:39

Agree with all apart from the no cameras one. I love having my camera off so I can walk on my walking pad during the meeting. 😂

Get one of those under the desk cycle exercisers! 😅

PairOfKittens · 06/05/2025 21:48

I recently went to a meeting about how to run effective meetings, so as not to waste the business and our clients’ valuable time. The facilitator arrived late, there was no agenda, no structure and no summary of takeaways / actions / follow up exercises. It was the most extraordinary waste of time for the 30 attendees who presumably had many other things they could have used those two hours for.

londongirl12 · 06/05/2025 21:39

Agree with all apart from the no cameras one. I love having my camera off so I can walk on my walking pad during the meeting. 😂

Hedonism · 06/05/2025 20:58

I have an open calendar. My boss always books meetings that clash. Maybe it's a power move to say that they are too busy and important to check whether the meeting time works.

Hyperquiet · 06/05/2025 20:57

I had crippling jaw pain worsened by having my camera on (I am neurodivergent) but i was in back to back meetings most days. Now i am in a different role and have fewer meetings and can manage my camera on alot better. Just another perspective.

I also hate when people dont get to the point though in meetings.

Original poster
Meetingtimes · 06/05/2025 20:55

The house shame thing I have to disagree with, if you can’t turn your camera on in a meeting due to your house shame, you need to go into the office, or find a place to take your meetings where there is a blank wall, blur your background, or chose a background.

Quite a lot of organisations I work with, their consultants will have some kind of branded background etc, Or have a picture of their office as one

OP posts:
WhoAreYouTalkingTo · 06/05/2025 20:44

Having lost 24 minutes of my life today to a meeting that could have been a two line email I feel for you. That said, some people have shit Internet or are ashamed of their houses etc so don't turn their cameras on. That is OK, we don't know our own privilege sometimes.

People dragging out meetings drive me mad.

I have an open calendar but often get double or triple booked because people outside the organisation can't see my calendar.

I feel your pain, but recognise that there are some reasons why things happen.

Swipe left for the next trending thread