or is this a really rubbish excuse for avoiding a meeting?

[FaithLoveandGrace]

I'm a postgrad and currently working on a really important group project which requires regular meetings. Earlier this week we arranged to see someone much more senior to gain their input, which tbh we desperately needed at the time. One of the people in our group said they couldn't come as they had to "go home and charge [their] phone". I mean come on, really?! To me it just sounds like this person can't be bothered and tbh I personally would rather it just be a smaller group without them if this keeps up! AIBU or is she though?

If there really is a reason that one's phone needs to be kept charged (and if there is then you bring your charger with you?) then yes she WBU.

It's a pretty poor excuse unless there's some massively important reason she has to be contactable at any time, like someone in hospital in a critical condition.

If I was being charitable, I'd wonder if there was actually some other reason that she didn't want to mention, and couldn't think of anything better on the spur of the moment. But if she's generally being a problem then it may just be a crap attitude!

AMumInScotland perhaps there was another reason. Though she was complaining about her phone all morning before she knew we had the meeting. We've had a fair few problems with her either not turning up or turning up late as well as not actually contributing to the work. I'd be far more understanding if this was the first time but it's just really winding me up now.

Sounds like a security issue (feels weird without a charged phone/that would screw up rest of day) or a prioritising issue (I know a few people who won't do the really really important things before certain 'core' unimportant things ( eg someone I know won't leave her house unless everything's tidy house shoes in order and all windows checked. . even if you've only been in the house 5 mins.. and will happily miss events or hold up lifts etc.. so perhaps a prioritisation workshop is in order .. or time awareness.. she may have thought popping home to charge a phone is quick (ive taken students through planning exercises and its amazing how many don't know that if it takes an hour to get to a city and half an hour to get to a particular shop, 15 mins to get to the rail station and an hour to get ready you can't be phoning in your pjs at 10 saying see you at 12! I know people who've popped home and taken two hours!

Do some work/have conversations about that and/or keep starting meetings without people there.. or pre-meet and have coffee oerhaps?

sparkle thing is we were already together. Tried setting up meeting but couldn't do it for 2 hours so she said she was going home to charge phone and not coming back as it's too far to walk - even though it was unfortunately the only time we could have the meeting before our deadline. She constantly expects us to update via email instead of coming to the meeting - which is fine at times, but others a face to face meeting is what's needed. Any suggestion of a pre-meeting is met with a "I can't do the earlier time, I'll just meet you there" which then turns in to being late / not there. It feels like we have to constantly tell her exactly what to do and even then the work doesn't get done.

I do wonder if perhaps there are more underlying issues as to why productivity / attendance is so low.

Also meant to say good point about time awareness work. I think I may casually suggest the course I went on a few years back.