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?

@PumpkinSpiceGirl

I’m amazed at all this flexibility around school runs, how the hell did anyone cope when they were in the office every day? It’s hard enough managing a team with all their different hours and requirements without having to take into account their kids as well. I think sometimes flexibility can swing so far the other way that it’s not really practical for the needs of the business.

I’ve WFH for 5 years pre-pandemic and my cure hours were negotiated to take account of the school run, with flexible hours made up on top.

I’m now - post-pandemic - working in an office and my core hours are still based on taking into account the (morning) school run.

Most people’s team “with all their different hours and requirements” is because of caring responsibilities for children or other dependents. You don’t need to separately consider them if a flex request is formally in place. And if it isn’t then it’s fine to say that employee needs to jump through the official hoops.

I’m not asking people to be at the office for the meeting. I couldn’t care less where they dial in from, but do expect them to be available at 9am for it.

Setting up a weekly meeting at 9am means that worker would have to then pay for a before school/nursery service to make it on time. It's probably why they're reluctant.

My company has Friday afternoon meetings free too!

I'm very lucky

@ItsDisneyBitch

My boss likes to call a meeting at 4.30 on a Friday. That’s a dick move.

My boss used to do that until the CEO announced that non-emergency meetings before 12pm on Monday and after 12pm on Friday are banned. It's so much better now. You can spend your Friday afternoon tidying up the weeks work and your Monday morning planning your week and picking up urgent emails from the weekend.

@Overthebow

I’m not asking people to be at the office for the meeting. I couldn’t care less where they dial in from, but do expect them to be available at 9am for it.

Can the meeting be 9.15?

Can the worker dial in at 9.15?

Is it a weekly meeting and do you need them for the meeting to ge productive?

Has the worker offered a solution to not being available? Have they asked for a formal flexible working request?

It's a hard one. We have a weekly finance meeting at 9am on a Friday where people from Australia have to join. They always go first as it's late for them and outside working hours My DH has many calls with US where it's the other way round and I have a weekly one with Canada at 6pm. It's the downside of working for an international organization. You need to agree a time that works for MOST people and work round it otherwise.

@Hercisback

Good job none of you who need "time to warm up" work in a school. We're well into the swing by 9am.

I was thinking this but didn't like to say At work by 7.30 am every day. (I still think a 9am meeting should be avoided if start time is 9)

You have too many meetings if you can't accommodate school pick ups / drop offs in a corporate type job.

Admittedly it takes about ten minutes for the computers to turn on and warm up.

@JesusIsAnyNameFree

coke magus tondi

I thought something bad was happening to me reading this

Me too. I snorted and hurt myself (have a coke)

‘ I’m amazed at all this flexibility around school runs, how the hell did anyone cope when they were in the office every day? ’

Work is encroaching more into people’s personal lives and space, and the hours they work will reflect that. This team member could very well work for an hour or 2 before the school
Stuff.
I get up at 6am and log in at 6.30 for an hour or two. My kids get them self up and to school but I do usually eat breakfast with them. If I don’t have a meeting I’ll walk the dog around 8.30 or 9. Get some fresh air.
Lunch is grabbing something in the kitchen but I take the dog out again in the afternoon when I have a gap.
In my old Life it was out the door at 7am, office by 9am.
2hrs of commuting each way, wasted time.

Yes I don't like going into a full days teaching as soon as I walk in. I get in at 7 every day to avoid this.

How would the school runners have coped pre covid? Assuming you were all OK an office.

Yabu
The last year or so has given us all a chance to be more sensible and flexible. Move the meeting to 9:30.

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend

coke magus tondi

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

I genuinely thought that was a latin idiom I hadn't heard of

@PaintedDaisy

You'd be surprised at how many people in some offices start at 9 then go and make breakfast and natter for 30 mins

I think that happens whatever the start time - and it's an absolute piss take!

I don't know why people think this is a new thing caused by the pandemic.

I have climbed a long way up the career ladder whilst working 9.30-2.30. I picked up the rest of the work when the children were in bed. I kept clients happy, kept the directors happy, turned out high quality work and if a meeting really had to be outside those hours I found a way to make it work.

As a manager of a big team now, I am far more interested in output/conduct/ etc than what time people clock in and out.

With wfh many people have got into the habit of scheduling early meetings often at 9 or before as most people are logged early on with zero commute to do. With the gradual move back to the office we have had messages to be aware if people are travelling to be more considerate and not schedule early meetings. We also do not have core hours and it’s flexi time so can start whenever we like really and many people chose to start late to avoid peak travel. If it was face to face I’d doubt you’d start at 9. Appreciate the difficulty with time differences though.

9 am is a fucking awful time for a meeting. I would be pissed off with that too. Especially if I was still having to do school runs.

It can be really tight for people sometimes and a 9 am meeting doesn't give any leeway for late trains or problems logging on.

If it's a one off fine. I'd probably have been able to rearrange school runs etc, to make sure I was there earlier to get logged on and prepared etc, but weekly would be a real pain.

Wow, I genuinely can’t believe the amount of people who think 9am meetings are unacceptable, I have them literally every day and have done my whole career. I wouldn’t even think twice about suggesting one unless I knew people had to travel from their normal work place.

@Overthebow

I’m not asking people to be at the office for the meeting. I couldn’t care less where they dial in from, but do expect them to be available at 9am for it.

You're not listening to the comments. Doesn't seem like you can force this unless you have contracted core hours

@WildBluebell

9am meetings are the worst. And people who schedule them are unreasonable.

I have a an 8am one in my diary next week. Not impressed. Don’t normally start until around 8:15-8:30

@HikingforScenery

Yabu The last year or so has given us all a chance to be more sensible and flexible. Move the meeting to 9:30.

So would you be ok with school starting at 9:15 so that your child’s teacher can drop them off first? Assuming you have school age child.

Is this person critical to the team meeting? Could they attend every 3rd meeting? Will the meeting be useful? Are there any alternatives acceptable to others and client?