To remain in reception until other attendees arrive ?!

[BlueStockingUK]

Meeting yesterday arranged for 16:00 ( I usually finish at this time ) more than happy to be flexible. Drove from different district, arrived 15:45. In building 15:50. Informed reception of arrival 15:55.
Receptionist after speaking to organiser said " just wait until other attendees arrive". At 16:14, I was positively raging ! .
I asked reception to ring organiser again - Would she like to reconvene, or should I come up? we could begin at least a discussion, rather than be kept waiting in reception.
On arrival, organiser said, " It was have just been easier, for you all to come up together" !!!
Is she bat crazy, or am I? ...
Never in my career when hosting a meeting, have I asked the first, second, third person to arrive to wait for other's.?? They come up, offered a drink, small talk made until we start.
I arrived on time. What CF keeps people arriving on time, to wait for people who are late?
Am I right to be annoyed, last meeting on a Friday OR could I be a bit hormonal...

I think you’re being ridiculous.

It’s definitely weird and pretty rude to keep people waiting in reception for 15 minutes after the meeting should have started.

Ive never heard of anything so rude. I would have been raging and quite possibly would have left.
People being 5 minutes late for meetings on my project is enough for it to be reconvened.

Well what if the other attendees had forgotten about the meeting and not turned up?! How long would they have left you sat in reception for

That's really odd. Was it with a public sector organisation? I've found that they have very, er, flexible ideas about meetings starting on time.

I would have been furious - 15 minutes? That's far too long and I would have left I'm afraid, and told them why.

Depends on the work culture, I suppose. Super unacceptable in my workplace. Time is money and all that.

I would have been cross too!

What time did they eventually all arrive? (Just curious as to how long you would have been left sitting there 😳)

I have had this happen. And no I haven't been raging.

I've experienced both ways of managing meetings. Pros and cons to both depending on the actual circumstances.

The CFs were those attendees who were late.

And it was an international private sector company that I experienced this with. Thought it was strange, but not raging.

Pretty strange. As the host, you should have been taken up straight away. Also extremely disrespectful of the other attendees not to be there on time (or slightly ahead of time actually).

I have a policy of starting meetings on time, whether all attendees are there or not. If anyone is late, then it is up to them to catch up, not for me to wait for them. As a result, they rarely do it more than once.

I'd find that shocking in my work place but my husband has to meet frequently with various public sector people at their own place of work and this kind of thing seems prevalent. He cannot believe the lackadaisical approach he often encounters with business meetings; cancelled on the day despite being aware he's based 2 hours away, people nipping out to buy a birthday card, different people turning up, baring in mind these are paying customers he's meeting, not people being given a hard sell!

I suppose it depends where the meeting room is compared to the reception. If it's up and down stairs, round corridors and offices I can see why they would rather wait for a group rather than having escort individuals multiple times.

I think after 15 minutes after meeting start time it was entirely reasonable to ask to speak to the organiser and see if they wanted you to come up or meet another day.

If the meeting room was some distance away I'd expect the organizer to have come down or sent someone down to collect around start of meeting time - even if they did then wait for everyone else to turn up- rather than just leave a vsistor waiting around in reception endlessly.

YANBU, the host was rude .

If they wanted you in a holding pen in reception until all were there they should have made that clear, provided drinks and somewhere to sit and chat.

It is beyond rude to keep people who were on time waiting for the late ones, and even ruder for them to comment as they did as if you were inconveniencing them

Yeah, that's ride.

The room was on an upper floor. It was a small meeting (public sector LA ) Two didn't arrive, 2 arrived before 16:30.
She didn't come to get me & I've had attended a meeting previously & hasn't come down to meet me/ escort me. I've walked up.
I worked on an upper floor for 11 years, regardless, I'm happy for anyone arriving a bit earlier than booked AND on time to come up.
It was rude. It is rude. Hopefully after making a point, she won't do it again. We shall see...she'll get 5 minutes next time !

StillCoughingAndLaughing I think you're a
You're input has proved invaluable.

No issue with you waiting in Reception until the others are there or until it is just coming up time for the meeting (others might have been using room / person you are meeting might have still been on another call, etc), but the meeting should start on time.

I would be cross about that.
I don't find it a 'thing' in the public sector (where my work is) - when people are running late, we have to start without them.

This was incredibly rude I’d be annoyed too