Team meeting - rotating chair

[KimGa]

I am part-time (only 16 hours a week). I do admin to fit around school hours. I am the lowest paid, most part-time member of a team of about 35, local government.

We have a regular team meeting which happens to fall at a time I work. I’m of course happy to attend. However, they rotate who chairs the meeting and who minute takes every time, so everyone apparently has to have a turn regardless of seniority.

AIBU to think this is unfair? I don’t object to the minute taking because admin is what I’m paid to do but as I absolutely hate presenting/public speaking of any kind having to chair when it’s my turn causes me so much stress and anxiety.

Surely this is a senior leadership team task and their pay reflects that kind of responsibility.

I had this in local government and the meetings edge such a waste of time as well as the minutes.

YANBU but nothing will change there!!

😆 my boss tried something like this but it never took off because we’re all so busy we totally forgot we’re supposed to take notes - so he just does it.

Urgg I hate this. I find it’s just another way for managers to shirk some responsibility under the disguise of “development”.
It might be one of those things you can’t get out of but I completely understand.

Yabu

We have daily huddles and weekly team meetings. We have a rota for who chairs it so each week it’s someone different.

So if it’s my turn to chair I lead in the team meeting a huddles. It’s good to share as everyone gets a chance from the most junior person to most senior.

What is it you don't like about it OP? Maybe someone will be able to help?

I agree - what do people do differently chairing a meeting vs participating normally?

No😁. But then I used to do that worked in admin….it was a long time ago though….

Sorry OP I agree with the masses that YABU. We have the same ways of working for routine meeting. We take turns to chair, take notes, coach etc

The meeting falls in your work hours so it's fair you get involved

Yanu, it is a team meeting not presenting to the board.

Yabu sorry

If it causes you stress and anxiety, I would have a word with your manager and say exactly that. Hopefully they can find a way to either support you to develop your confidence, or to manage a discreet get-out clause for you if the anxiety cannot be overcome at this time.

It's pretty standard IME, we have a few core roles (chair, action taker, coach, comms etc) that are on rotation and if you're in the meeting, you're on the rota.

It's actually quite a good leveller- I was in a meeting today where the head of a whole function struggled to navigate the Team room. He ended up with about 25 separate tabs open, it was hilarious to observe.

I'm guessing you're not a manager? What an awful attitude!

@Barleysugar86 I also thought it might be a funny spinning chair story.

OP, its good to go outside your comfort zone once in a while. Make it short and sweet. Agenda, and record on your phone or work device of you are expected to do minutes. I certainly can't write as fast as people waffle talk.

Yes, agree with this.

Chairing a meeting isn't as hard as you think. You read out the agenda and do the timekeeping. Why not see it as an opportunity to practice public speaking? You can't really go wrong - read out from a bit of paper, put a listening face on, and look at the clock.

We do this in our team meetings. We found that there's so much better engagement when someone more junior is chairing the meeting. When the boss chairs it, it just becomes a lot of people listening to him talk.

P.s. yes I was also hoping for a hilarious swivel chair story 😅

"Welcome everyone today's meeting is now over, I'll send you the crap they want me to read to you in an email later. Hopefully this hour can be put to better use. Please take a biscuit on the way out."

Speak to your manager

i was aware of colleagues not liking to read the agenda and I have passed it on to the next person or read it myself it’s not necessary and it certainly shouldn’t be forced.

of that doesn’t work for to hr this absolutely should be understood and anything that is causing you anxiety at work shouldn’t be ignored

only down side it’s the ones who just love the sound of their own voice and love nothing better than a team meeting have more time to bore everyone else

YANBU, equal opportunity and equal obligation are not the same thing.

Great opportunity for colleagues who want/happy to develop, push themselves outside their comfort zones, rise to the challenge or whatever. However, I don’t think that’s what OP is asking.

Equally ok for those who have anxiety, feel uncomfortable chairing meetings/presenting to a group to not do so. I guess the question is whether the requirement is in you JD, and if not, whether it could fall within ‘other reasonable tasks within your role’.

Personally, I think it’s also ok to simply not want to. After all, not everyone aspires to improve their presentation skills or whatever, and are happy to develop in other areas of their work - or not at all. That should be accepted as ok and not sone kind of developmental deficiency.

Maybe it’s just my manager. I’ve came to realise she doesn’t really understand our job and what we do so to tackle this she gets us to head up training/daily or weekly briefings that she should be giving to avoid questions etc.

I have never come across this, but I actually think it's a great idea.

The idea that managers are asking people to chair as a way of "shirking their responsibilities" is pretty laughable in my view. If you're used to chairing meetings, which most managers will be, it isn't a big deal at all and it certainly isn't an onerous responsibility. In many ways, when you're used to being in the driving seat, it can actually be much harder to step back and let others take the lead.

It's a very "safe" way of giving development opportunities to staff and handing over a tiny bit of power with minimal risk. I might just have to steal the idea and implement it for my team!

concentrate on well being
we do this
no issues

think of it as something to put on your CV