To want my partner to have fewer Zoom meetings in the garden?

[Lunificent]

Admittedly, we’ve only had one nice day so far this year so this isn’t yet an issue. However, last summer he was often having back to back work meetings in the garden for large parts of the day.
The reason it bothers me mainly is that I feel it’s not fair to the neighbours. He’s not saying anything confidential but it’s loud enough to be heard and it’s not just chit chat. I wouldn’t want to hear it if I was them. I’ve suggested not that he entirely stops doing this, but that if there are going to be many throughout the day, that he is a little more considerate.
His argument is that he is not breaking the law and it’s up to him what he does in his own garden so he will use the garden for work meetings at any time of the day he chooses (obv. He wouldn’t disturb anyone late at night).
So am I being unreasonable?

I’d hate that.

Does he think the neighbours want to listen to his shit work chat?

Taking work meetings or calls in the garden is really selfish and unthinking. Same as people who speak loudly on their phone on the train like they're in their fucking office or something. The sound carries a lot and it's very VERY annoying.

I had to stop my DH doing it, even though he thought it was fine. Take your calls inside, man!

Sexnotgender - I don’t think he goes as far as to think about his effect on others.

This would irritate me if it was regular.

It's highly unprofessional for a start, let alone how irritating it will be for the neighbours.

I'm off work and at home. I spend as much time as possible in the garden because I'm not very well, and fresh air and sunshine makes me feel better.

Your DH would get on my nerves massively. I really don't want to overhear his work meetings. It's hugely inconsiderate. It's also a bit unprofessional in my opinion.

I wouldn’t do this, I’d think it was unprofessional if my colleagues were carrying out work zooms in their garden regularly. And it’s antisocial for neighbours.

Your neigbours hate him, guaranteed.

When do you get a chance to enjoy the garden? Do you get a chance?

I find it totally reasonable in principle. If you're allowed to sit and have a chat with friend in garden & the noise level is no higher, I can't see a difference in terms of how much bothers neighbours.

Whether unprofessional depends on content, industry etc.

It's not only the impact on neighbours, it's a lovely advert for burglars. Your work colleagues may be lovely, but their other family members may have dodgy friends or worse.

I worked in the garden all last summer
Couldn't give 2 shites what the neighbours think tbh

What a self important twerp

Last summer our neighbours had long lunchtime family calls practically daily. I fantasised about throwing things over the fence at them, and that was only once a day. All day and if have bloody well done it. It's impossible to relax in your garden with someone yammering away in earshot, and people are always much louder on zoom / on the phone than in person. I hope he at least wears earphones so your poor neighbours don't have to hear the tinny sound of everyone else on the call.

Please enlist your neighbour to complain about it - I bet he'll listen to that.

Elizabeth- nice neighbour

Ragged - this is how he sees it.
What I’ve said to him is that there’s no precedent for this (as we’ve not ever had a pandemic and the ability to Zoom) so we need to add this new consideration when thinking about garden noise etiquette.

My previous neighbour used to do this however it was phone calls she would take in the garden. She would pace up and down the paved area of her garden in heels and she was loud. They calls started at 830 and she would take them al day. I was glad when they moved out

Wow I'd hate to be neighbours with you lot, how miserable. Throughout lockdown I've loved hearing life in my neighbouring gardens, whether that is people chatting on the phone, music playing, families talking, children playing/shouting. It has reminded me that there is life outside of my own 4 walls. I'm guessing work meetings in the garden isn't going to be a permanent fixture so I really wouldn't be getting worked up about this.

There is a difference hearing kids,music etc in the garden to someone stomping up on down the patio shouting down the phone all day .funny enough her DH shouted over the fence at my kids because they were laughing whilst playing cards at 8 pm during the summer holiday

What is the difference between work chat in garden & social chat in garden?

I imagine work chat tends to be a lot calmer & involves more listening.
I would have headphones myself in garden, tbf. Would headphones make Zoom meetings in garden seem more acceptable to some of you?

ps: how do people having all day meetings get anything else done? I've been wondering that! Friend says she only starts actual work when the meetings end, about 5pm.

Explain advert for burglars?

Yeah hes being shit. Lots of things arent illegal but it doesnt mean it's right to do them frequently and it wont help neighbourly relations. DIY all day every weekend, dumping a load of shit in your garden, etc etc. Having good relationships with your neighbours is invaluable. Or rather avoiding bad ones

Could you mow the lawn?

Remote meetings were common in my industry even pre pandemic, and loads of people take them in the garden... if feels a bit antisocial on the face of it, but I suppose it’s no different to having people around chatting in the garden all the time; and nobody thinks that’s inappropriate...

Is he literally on all day calls? How much does he talk? Is he the leader of the calls/a very active participant, or is he mostly listening? My instinct is that a few quiet calls are okay, but constant calls all day would feel inconsiderate.

I guess it’s his garden, and if he’s generally selfish, he’s unlikely to change now.

As someone who used to have to listen to some of the most boring loud work conversations on my three hour train commute twice a month .
Please suggest he takes at least some of the calls in the house.
I’ve heard divorce discussions , staff sickness , child protection conversations and civil service white paper conversations on past commutes it may not be confidential in his eyes but there is always someone who it could be of interest to.