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?

Thankfully my work are a lot more understanding than you that there is such a thing as a work-life balance and have no problem me leaving for 15 minutes to do the school drop-off with me working 15 minutes over at the end of the day. They would never schedule a meeting with me when I'm not available

To all of those saying it's ok to start at 9.15 cause of the school run - what about the impact on the rest of the team in the other time zone who now can't leave on time because this means they have to work late? Why does 1 person in the uk who has to do the school run get priority over those people?

More and more companies are joining the modern world and working more flexibly. In the vast majority of cases the more you give to your staff the more you get back from them, and flexible working is often an easy thing to do with many rewards back.

Clearly that can't happen for all jobs but heck, why not when you can.

Also, people like to get in and have time to get a few things out of the way like answering or sending emails etc before they start getting into meetings.

I have kids and a job. If a Client, on whom salaries and sales are dependent has asked for a weekly meeting at 9, with plenty of notice for all to make arrangements, that is what we do.

I cannot even begin to imagine saying no, as team members have to take their kids to school.

If the team member cannot attend critical client driven calls, that are at a perfectly reasonable time, I would seek to remove them from the clients account.

YANBU or a dick, it's a perfectly reasonable management request.

@FlyingSoHigh

To all of those saying it's ok to start at 9.15 cause of the school run - what about the impact on the rest of the team in the other time zone who now can't leave on time because this means they have to work late? Why does 1 person in the uk who has to do the school run get priority over those people?

I suspect that if the OP got in touch and explained the issue they would be more than willing to stay another 15-20 minutes so that all participants are included.

The more I read this thread the more baffled I am - an error was made with the scheduling; why can’t the OP just explain what’s happened and it won’t be a problem.

I feel so sorry for the guy concerned - all he wants to do is do the school run.

Oh, and OP should definitely check schedules when organising the next meeting.

@TSSDNCOP

I have kids and a job. If a Client, on whom salaries and sales are dependent has asked for a weekly meeting at 9, with plenty of notice for all to make arrangements, that is what we do.

I cannot even begin to imagine saying no, as team members have to take their kids to school.

If the team member cannot attend critical client driven calls, that are at a perfectly reasonable time, I would seek to remove them from the clients account.

YANBU or a dick, it's a perfectly reasonable management request.

Is op his manager?

You’re being not only unreasonable but a complete ass. Never have I ever worked in a place that would set up meetings at 9am. Especially regular ones! Even without the school runs or anything. This is bad form and no one does that unless there are some special circumstances.

You would have to have some very solid non negotiable reason to set a weekly meeting at 9am and it doesn’t seem like you do. I am absolutely convinced most of your colleagues hate you, including those who clicked yes to your meeting while cursing you in their heads.

If your colleague doesn't have core hours, presumably they can start when they want. Move the meeting to 9.30 or 10

As a manager I wouldn't start a group meeting before 10am on the assumption that:

• some workers work flexi-time with core hours
• some employees are likely to drop off children into school on their way to work. These employees are unlikely to be in before 9am
• many organisations don't start work before 9.30am so will not wish to be starting earlier just to attend a meeting.

They could possibly access the meeting from their mobile phone in the car. I have done this.

Most people with kids would hate you as a boss and a colleague. Are you one of those entitled and clueless millennials? Move on with the times, most people experienced better work/life balance since Covid and work much harder if there is some flexibility around childcare. I bet you are not complaining if they are still logged on and working at 7,8,9pm.
If you are a woman you should support other woman who juggle work and family. If you are still childless, of course, you have no clue but I hope you don’t come back here moaning in a few years time when someone puts these stupid and unreasonable expectations on you when you are a parent yourself.

@FlyingSoHigh

To all of those saying it's ok to start at 9.15 cause of the school run - what about the impact on the rest of the team in the other time zone who now can't leave on time because this means they have to work late? Why does 1 person in the uk who has to do the school run get priority over those people?

This is completely normal behaviour for anyone with school age children, especially for those parents with children in primary school.

Seriously, is 15 minutes a big deal anyway? I'm sure anyone in a full time job can shave off 15 minutes somewhere in a working day if needed so they can leave on time.🙄

I voted YABU. Your employees have lives and responsibilities in their lives. These days more than ever. Because of covid policies, many schools have inflexible, non-negotiable, set drop-off and pick-up times. Many schools still don't offer breakfast clubs and after-school clubs. These are still not normal times and looking after young kids is a legal requirement. Employers need to be more flexible.

You don't own a person's time just because you pay them an above average salary, especially if the meeting is not during official, fixed working hours.

How much notice of the meeting did you give your employee? Mind you, I do see parents dropping off their kids while logging onto Zoom meetings in their smartphones, but it's a bit much.

I’ll give an example.

I log on at 8.20 and there’s an emergency meeting at 9. I’m the only one available in the team as people are doing drop-offs. Fine, OK. I attend the meeting. When everyone’s back, they chip in, but it’s clear that they think I’m handling it. It gets to 3ish. Everyone disappears again. I’m asked to clear something re: the emergency. Once everyone is back again, they’re not interested in helping as it’d take too much reading in and clearly I have it under control. They’re all logged off by 5.30.

I’ve just logged off now, having sorted the emergency out. We are all paid the same salary. Whenever I try to get flexibility for anything short of a medical appointment, it’s refused because someone needs to be around at start and end of day (even though we don’t have core hours, officially).

This happens several times per week, every week. I’ve spoken to friends in other teams and same happens there. Now I may just be incredibly unlucky and working with a bunch of outliers, but this is why I struggle to see how this is a progressive feminist workplace. It’s not. It’s a two-tier system and it’s ludicrous.

@BabyBlueEyez

Most people with kids would hate you as a boss and a colleague. Are you one of those entitled and clueless millennials? Move on with the times, most people experienced better work/life balance since Covid and work much harder if there is some flexibility around childcare. I bet you are not complaining if they are still logged on and working at 7,8,9pm. If you are a woman you should support other woman who juggle work and family. If you are still childless, of course, you have no clue but I hope you don’t come back here moaning in a few years time when someone puts these stupid and unreasonable expectations on you when you are a parent yourself.

You sound delightful.

@MiddleParking

Everyone thinks you’re a dickhead for putting in a weekly 9am call, just so you know.

This… Again!

@AudacityBaby I could have written your post. Management only care that a job is done. If you raise a problem you are dismissed. Totally demoralising.

Before everyone says get another job. It is not that easy. Plus why should a hardworking person have to take the flak for others.

If you are supposed to start work at 9am then surely you should be available for a meeting at 9am. My child goes to breakfast club so that we can both start work on time. Surely your team member needs to make similar alternative arrangements if he is required on a call during the working day

I work as a PM in Finance and both my clients and team members are based abroad across various time zones. It is so tough scheduling meetings. I have lost count the times I have dialled in from my car, train, airport lounge, etc… It’s doable so I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all.

@Novemberstorm Thank you. I’ve been job-hunting for almost a year. Have complained to union about this and they’re hopeless, so it’s hard not to feel demoralised. I’m sorry to hear that you’re going through this too.

@MiddleParking

Everyone thinks you’re a dickhead for putting in a weekly 9am call, just so you know.

This ^....come on now...9am is the typical school run time. Why you do this!? Don't be a plonker, Rodney! You're either being purposely slow or purposely unfair and have no children of your own - If so, "Hello parental non-flexible discriminatory lawsuit my old friiiieeeend...another boss been fined agaaaain."

Can the meeting start at 0915hrs? Can the parent either try for breakfast club on this one occasion or would they be willing to ask friend/another parent to help out? Have you asked them? Explained /pointed out the predicament and that it would be helpful? He maybe under pressures you’re unaware of and need the obvious pointing out. Maybe he simply is unable to on this day. Can he dial a little later?

Your employees have lives and responsibilities

The people in the other timezones probably have lives and responsibilities and work/life balances. If the meeting is delayed, it will be happening outside of their working hours. Yet they're just supposed to suck it up, it seems. The flexibility is all one way.

@AudacityBaby

I’ll give an example.

I log on at 8.20 and there’s an emergency meeting at 9. I’m the only one available in the team as people are doing drop-offs. Fine, OK. I attend the meeting. When everyone’s back, they chip in, but it’s clear that they think I’m handling it. It gets to 3ish. Everyone disappears again. I’m asked to clear something re: the emergency. Once everyone is back again, they’re not interested in helping as it’d take too much reading in and clearly I have it under control. They’re all logged off by 5.30.

I’ve just logged off now, having sorted the emergency out. We are all paid the same salary. Whenever I try to get flexibility for anything short of a medical appointment, it’s refused because someone needs to be around at start and end of day (even though we don’t have core hours, officially).

This happens several times per week, every week. I’ve spoken to friends in other teams and same happens there. Now I may just be incredibly unlucky and working with a bunch of outliers, but this is why I struggle to see how this is a progressive feminist workplace. It’s not. It’s a two-tier system and it’s ludicrous.

Spot on. And in the exact spirit of the people suggesting it's fine to expect the people in other time zones to just stay past the end of their work days to accommodate this.

Also it's surprising how many people have ignored the reason for the early start of the meeting, instead just reveling in telling OP everybody hates them.

YANBU.

God you sound awful.

Does this person work hard? Get their work done? Perform well? If so why not start the call at 9.15 instead?!

If they don't do all of those things then you have a different conversation but it really isn't about a start time is it?