What does this corporate jargon actually mean?

[Aquarelles]

A manager from another dept assigned me with a task and asked me to have it done "no later than Friday morning".

Discussing it with another colleague, she lambasted me for not having done it yet, saying it should have been sent by EOD today.

I wouldn't have been able to start the task until Wednesday afternoon, and I was inundated with meetings today. I don't particularly want to log on later this evening (unpaid), so I plan to have it over by 10am tomorrow. AIBU?

YABU - no later than Friday morning = have it there by Thursday evening.
YANBU - no later than Friday morning = I've got until 11.59am (not that I would do that!)

Not corporate jargon!

That's just poor communcation, no later than Friday morning means 11:59am on Friday. First thing Friday morning means 9:00am (if that's your usual start time). Thursday COB/COP means Thursday 4:59pm (if 5pm if your usual end time - or later if you have flexibility in work).

A bit like when people say 'next weekend' and it's not clear if they mean 'this weekend' (i.e the nearest weekend) or the weekend after next! I always check this one because people seem to have a 50/50 split on what it means!

ive never had a office job

but i would have interpreted that as before 12 Friday

I'd have taken that as no later than the start of the work day on Friday...so presumably by 9am.

I work in a corporate environment. I think it is rude to give a deadline without context.

So I would say “please can I have it on Friday morning as I have a meeting with Bob at 2 and want to go through it with him then”

or “can you have it ready for me to read when I log on in Friday as I have a meeting with Bob at 10 and need to review it first”

The instruction you got was not clear. In your shoes I’d stick with your 10am and if the person complains use it as an opportunity to politely highlight the ambiguity of the instruction.

Whatever it is it's a massively subjective deadline so the manager needs to be more specific.

Perfectly reasonable.

The deadline is clear - no later than Friday morning.
You have prioritised your time since being tasked, have had other meetings taking up time - and prioritised accordingly
You have time tomorrow morning to meet ‘no later than Friday morning’

It would have been nice to have completed
it already (within ‘no later than Friday morning’) but you have done other things and are still within the deadline

I'd have interpreted this to mean they need it first thing Friday morning, but yes, it's a little ambiguous.

I agree, it also motivates people to deliver on time if they can see a clear reason for it, especially if Bob is someone they know and respect.

Me - I'd be up early to get it submitted by 9am latest - to negate the various interpretations of "by early Friday". Only if I was 'pulled-up' on my timing would I further explain my existing work schedule.

But I'd also be taking note of such occasions, just in case they become too frequent.

I’d try and hand it over by 10am Friday OP.

I would have done that, but this same manager has scheduled a meeting for me 8am - 9am tomorrow (on a Friday! who does that??)

I've got the task all but worked out in my mind so I'll have no problem getting it off to them by 10am.

Thank you everyone

Personally I would interpret that as approx 9.30 on Friday.

I’d interpret that as early Friday morning. So by about 9.30. I’d expect them to say late morning if they meant any later than that. I can see why you aren’t sure!

Before Friday lunchtime would be my interpretation
I'd have sent it by 11am Friday

I can’t agree more! Although what’s the definition of morning? I’d assume required possibly in the mid morning and send by 9am. I’d probably want to send it on Thursday afternoon 😇

I would interpret as by 11am on Friday, unless I had reason to believe they need it earlier - I would check their diary to see what they were doing on Friday morning and if anything relevant to my deliverable.

I would have said by 9am Friday and would have checked if 9-12pm extension is possible or not - however, with this context they want it ready to discuss with you in the 8am meeting.

They want you to get it to them in Friday with sufficient time that they can then do whatever they need to with it.

10am sounds fine.

They just don't want it at 4.50 so they are stuck late.

From many year's experience, I'd say it means 'I need it by 4pm on the first Thursday in May, but I have been caught out far too many times before to ever risk something coming in the nick of time, so I always set a short deadline expecting that some random act of god will affect it. But if it does turn up and is usable, I'll be very pleasantly surprised'. Because that's the deadlines I set - I hate being let down, so I give very long times to allow for chasing and problem solving that isn't mentioned until five minutes before my deadline passes (as that's when they've decided to finally make a start on it).

But I'm not as optimistic as some <side eyes IT with their 'we'll just make permanent changes that render essential software useless without prior consultation because it didn't occur to us that it's there and being used daily for a reason'>.

So she handed to you Wednesday, you’ve been in meetings all day today and she’s got you in a meeting first thing tomorrow and then give you a task with a deadline which doesn’t make sense and then is cross.
“Next time please say the actual time your needed it” rather than “ I need it by the second moon rising of the last phase of Sagittarius”

Yep this!

(Although I take EOD to mean I have until midnight on said day rather than 5pm, so you may not want to take my advice!)

Good point! Totally got caught up in semantics. Good luck OP sounds like a stressful workplace

Pretty poor advice. OP was given a task and didn't understand a crucial element, the delivery time. The onus is on her to ask for whatever clarity she needs, and explain if she can't do the work; and that should have happened on the Wednesday, not wait until Friday morning. Her manager might have had this as top priority and expected her to cancel any workshop she has; she needs to ask if she is unclear.