Expected to start teams meetings?

[surrpundedby]

I’ve started a new job and my diary for now is very empty with few meetings and there’s quite a lot of training material that I have to go through.

My manager is always in back to back meetings and he’s put two 30 minute catchups in with me for the first month. From experience meetings tend to overrun so I’ve waited for him to be ready for our call and then I’ll hop on as I’m just reading - or he might need a loo break or get a drink.

Today it got to 5 past our meeting and he messaged me to say “are you joining”. So I started the call and he said that I am expected to always start the meetings.

Obviously once I’m more busy I won’t even give it a second thought as to who starts a meeting, but this seems such a weird rule to me.

I wonder if you’re my new starter? I’m often a couple of mins late to meetings with my new starter - as other calls overrun and tbh, I'm prioritising a client escalation call over them. I don’t like to do that but it is what it is. I would expect them to be ready and waiting on the call when I finish up, and I’ll always generally msg fo say I’m overrunning. If they have another call and are also overrunning I’d expect them to message me.

the shoe is also often on the other foot for me, and I’m waiting for my line manager to join a call with me. Again, always make sure I’m ready there even if I’m waiting for him.

No one is turning anything into a drama.

I said “no problem” and the conversation moved on.

OP your responses have me giggling. 🤣🤣 don’t let them wind you up so easily.

The whole thing is just silly. Just join the meeting at the start time (both of you), rather than waiting to see when someone is free.

His idea is that he’s busier/more senior so you should be joining and waiting for him. When he joins, you should already be present and ready to start.

I understand what you mean OP, my manger was the same when I first started but if I started the meeting on time they would generally message and say they were late and either postpone the meeting or cancel.

Now I’m a bit more senior I understand how it was for them to forget meetings when you have so many. I would hope that those more junior would start the meeting as a prompt if I havent already

He's your boss. He decides the rules of what you do for your job - what you're being paid to do.

Just join the call on time

Yes you (generic you) always start the meeting at the alloted time. Perhaps he didn't mean you specifically just generally you always go into a meeting at the start time no matter who is there.

You didn't understand another explanation, if boss is in another meeting and you start this one, this gives him the option to say to his existing meeting, "sorry I have to run, my other meeting has started."

It would be wise to take your manager's cue and not question everything all the time you're new.

You're supposed to attend the meeting when it gets to the correct time on your clock, or a couple of minutes before, so whoever is first just starts or everyone would be waiting for everyone else in group meetings. He now has told you to start it so there's no confusion moving forward and so you don't fuck it up again in future.

You, as the junior person in a new job, should always be early. Never late. If you sit there waiting for someone on a call that's what you're being paid to do. Guessing or controlling other people will lead to disaster.

HTH.

But you've been late to every single meeting because you think you're too good to start the meeting yourself and wait a couple of minutes?

Surely you can see why this isn't going down well

Why in the world are you wondering if I’m your new starter? 🙈.

He’s not pulling a power move? He’s just told you he expects you to start the meeting. And he’s your manager and that’s a reasonable instruction so just do things how he wants them.

I was sympathetic with your point that either of you could start the meeting but the more you post on this thread the worse you are coming across.

Where did I say I’ve been late to every single meeting?

I usually join the Teams meeting at the time given, you can see if they are not on yet and just continue with work until they are (with Teams open).

I’m a teacher - so maybe different - but we have 3 whole school briefings set at 8.30 which we are required to join as it’s our directed time. First teacher just starts the meeting (out of about 50 of us!). We just then wait for the Head to join. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t if they’re busy. We just get in with our own stuff whilst waiting - sometimes they don’t join at all if something has over run. We just log out and get in with our day.Am assuming if you have scheduled meeting times just do the same?

No! That's not what's happening. Senior staff with very full diaries need to juggle their time. If he was in a meeting that was running on, and you started your meeting, he could then choose to either end the meeting he was in to join you, or message you in the chat to say running 5 minutes late or whatever. But you sitting there like a spare part waiting for him means he's more likely to overrun in his other meeting because he assumes you're not ready. Like it or not senior managers often have a lot of demands on their time and it's up to those junior to them to manage their own time efficiently and not add to time pressures of those with greater levels of responsibility. It's not a power play, it's a time efficiency issue.

I'm glad you see joining/starting a meeting on time as 'no problem'. It would be sensible to do it in future.

I really don’t care how you personally think I’m coming across and neither did I need your sympathy. You’re a stranger to me.

It is pulling a power move. It’s not a legitimate reason to not start a meeting because you think a junior person is beneath you.

I don't think for a minute that the majority of posters are over 60. Whatever their age they seem to have a better idea of how to behave at work than the OP though.

If I have a call booked with my manager I click the link at the allotted time and do a few bits and bobs in the meantime if they don't appear on my screen immediately.

It's always easier to just say to your manager "of course, I will be sure to do that in future" even if you don't agree with them. It's only work 💁🏻‍♀️

Not necessarily, I’ve usually done a full day (8 hours or so) by before 3pm.

Gosh, I feel for your manager. You're training right now with an empty-ish diary - he's knee deep in established work. Its understandable for you to be the one who starts the meeting - he's probably not there twiddling his thumbs, he's eeking out an e-mail until you show you're ready or getting bits done. Its easier for you to just pause your training and start the meeting, signaling to him that you're ready now.

My managers lovely and he is frequently late for meetings/waits for us to start it whilst he is scurrying around finishing bits, because he is a busy man who takes great care of his team. Hope you're not one of our new starters... if you are, give him a break! If you're not... maybe still give this guy a break? Just take some initiative and start the meeting.

How do you know he was just staring at his screen? Presumably you were nowhere near him at the time?

This is really strange, why would you not just join at the time the meeting starts?! I tend to do that and just mute myself and continue on with whatever work I need to do until whoever else joins.

Presumably your boss is annoyed because you didn’t have any real valid reason for having not joined on time meaning the meeting then started even later, which for someone who has back to back meetings would be frustrating.

If you didn’t want stranger’s opinions then why did you start this thread?

Good luck with the new job OP. It doesn’t sound like you’ve made the best first impression but I hope you can turn it around.

He's telling you not to be late as he doesn't plan to stop what he's doing to wait around for you, as his time is objectively more valuable.

How you're giving attitude when you weren't smart enough to log onto a teams call when it was due to start, is impressive in a way.

It’s because when u join it sends a notification through like others have explained. Seriously get over yourself. Who on earth just sits there ignoring the fact they have a call 🤦‍♀️ your attention is arrogant and aggressive, bet you didn’t chat back to your boss like you’re doing here.