AIBU to think that team should be available at 9am for meetings?

[Overthebow]

I set up a weekly client meeting for my project team at 9am. I have had a decline from a key team member as it clashes with school drop of time. AIBU to think that 9am is a standard working time and my team should be available to attend important client calls at this time, unless they have a formal working hours agreement in place?

What do you want from this thread?

I used to work in a client facing role in professional services - if a client wanted a weekly 9am, that would be totally reasonable. I used to have a daily 6pm call which was a pain but I was paid to accommodate those kind of requests.

coke magus tondi

Supposed to say..... colleague to do...

9am would be a luxury - someone I work with thought a weekly meeting at 7.45 was a good idea. Unsurprisingly, noone has their cameras on! No official core hours, but the standard start time pre Covid was 8am.

If the client has dictated the time meeting then there is no option to move it. I’m not sure you can dictate that she comes in for this meeting if there is no policy on core hours.
Is it the sort of role / meeting contribution where she can provide a written update the day before the meeting?
Most school drop offs are by 9am. Can she dial into the meeting on the way home?
Have you asked her what her solution is given that the time of the meeting cannot be moved?

I don't understand this post really. Unless you are their line manager, then it's not really any of your business what their hours are? Maybe they have agreed it with their boss unofficially, or their boss doesn't care what hours they do as long as the work gets done 🤷‍♀️

Why does it matter if one colleague shows up to the meeting late or doesn't attend? How long is the meeting? If they can't make it then the reason is irrelevant

haud I did wonder

If this makes a difference we are all employed and are reasonably well-paid, well above the average UK wage

Not really. Unless it says in their contract they have to start at 9 am, you really can't say much. You need to discuss introducing core hours, I think.

I had someone leave earlier than allowed yesterday to pick up kids (not an emergency), meaning an important meeting had to be moved. That pissed me off.

@Overthebow

We also have lots of team members with reduced hour contracts and official working hour agreements in place. It is already hard enough to fit in all the necessary meetings around these, but would be impossible to have to accommodate the unofficial working patterns too.

I agree. Formal arrangements should be catered for. Informal "I'm going to rock up 15 minutes late because of x y and z" no.

Weird how people seem so pressed about a 9am meeting, it's not an unusual start time.

We have a kind of informal agreement in our team that we don't do meetings before 9.30am. Works better for everyone.

@Fetarabbit

Weird how people seem so pressed about a 9am meeting, it's not an unusual start time.

If you're due to start work at 9 then it doesn't matter what it is doing, you should be ready to start at 9

coke magus tondi

I thought something bad was happening to me reading this

Nothing actually important gets done in a meeting, so starting it at 9 is bad planning on your part, people will be busy logging in, dealing with their inbox and getting their head right for the day

Presuming you are on the call as project lead does it really matter if one person isn’t there or joins the call late? This person doesn’t have an agreement for specific hours and the company is flexible. If they’ve been working from 9.30 or whatever without issue surely the precedent is set that those are their normal working hours? It sounds like you are a bit resentful of those with reduced hours or agreed working hours? Are all those meetings strictly necessary or are they meetings for meetings sake?

Just let that person be a bit late to the meeting. Family-friendly policies will reflect well on the company and you’ll get more respect from the rest of the team than if you’re a dick about it

I think a 9am start is kinda unreasonable anyway because most people start at 9am. So you've not given them half an hour to prepare for the meeting. 9:30am at the earliest is fair I think.

If you're due to start work at 9 then it doesn't matter what it is doing, you should be ready to start at 9

But that's the problem, you can be bum on seat to be in a meeting at 9, but be totally useless because you haven't caught up/ done the prep ahead of the meeting

9:30 is the usual start time, and the earliest time for regular meetings at my work, for this reason. I also have to do the school run first thing (agreed with my line manager). Occasionally we have a meeting start at 9am so I will join via my phone, on my headset, either as I'm heading home if I only need to listen to start with, or parked up and sat in my car if I need to participate. Would this possibly be something that could work for your colleague?

What are contract hours? Even if it’s 9-5.30 I wouldn’t schedule a 9 am meeting unless totally unavoidable. People like to log on, check emails, respond to urgent (even just to say I’m in a meeting until x I’ll ring you after) 9am meeting means people won’t be sitting ready so some will be joining late - sorry couldn’t get on my laptop updated overnight etc.
If staff member has been logging on 9.05 for 18 m and staying 5 mins late then suddenly needing to be at desk by 8.45 is going to cause real headache. Lots of schools wrap around isn’t available due to covid.

9am call is surely best avoided as people need time to get their brain into work gear. Whenever I agree calls at this time I regret it.

As you don’t have formalised hours YABU I’m afraid.

If it’s so important that the team member is there, the meeting will have to be rearranged.

If it can’t be rearranged and will go ahead then clearly you can manage without them and there’s no need for any annoyance.

9am external meetings are bullshit anyway, even if your start time is 9. Everyone knows that means you have to be there at least 15 mins earlier to get in the right headspace, check tech etc etc. - so really that’s your issue.

@GertrudeBElion

If you're due to start work at 9 then it doesn't matter what it is doing, you should be ready to start at 9

But that's the problem, you can be bum on seat to be in a meeting at 9, but be totally useless because you haven't caught up/ done the prep ahead of the meeting

Do your prep the night before

Are you the manager. Maybe this collegue has an agreement with their manager you are unaware of? I work flexi and manage my own time anyway but I do have another agreement with my manager that I'm unlikely to be attending meetings before 9.15 and I can get cover when needed or decline meetings as long as its not every single one and I get the work done. My collegues are probably unaware of this as its non of their business.

Most places I've worked 10-12, 2-4 are the core hours. I know several people that start work at 9.30. I hate meetings first thing, I like to check my emails etc so don't schedule meetings until 10.