Wondering if colleague did this on purpose

[WilloWhisperer]

Today I had an important meeting arranged which I have been organising since July. In the end I rearranged my schedule to work today (I work for this company and have my own small business where I usually see clients on a Friday so had a lot of logistics to arrange).

The meeting was at 12 and so our senior consultant wanted me to go through some things in the morning. I told our whole team where I would be, asking them to get me when the people I was expecting had arrived.

The layout is a line of offices which are tucked away. The senior consultant and I had the door shut as we were discussing confidential information, furthest away from the entrance. There is a junior colleague who always huffs that she has to show people where these particular rooms are (she is sort of part of our team but in a different capacity)

I came out of the office at 12.10 to see if the people I had a meeting with were here yet. No one had got me so I thought they might be late. After a bit of investigating, she said “I looked around and couldn’t find you, so they left”. She said she asked around. But none of my team saw her come up the corridor. All she had to do was ask my whereabouts and any of them would have known where I was/ to come and get me. They were all working with their doors open.

She has form for doing things “to prove a point” so I’m wondering if she has done this on purpose? I don’t know when I/they am going to be able to rearrange and we will probably lose work because of this.

We have brought it up before that the system isn’t great. Unfortunately it’s not our call about who we have managing the area. On the days it’s not her things work much better

I don't understand why you didn't start your meeting with "I need to finish before 12 as have a meeting at 12" and do it. I also don't understand why you wouldn't tell the not receptionist where you were, when you saw the time and it seems odd that people would travel to a meeting but wait less than 10 minutes. Your colleague may be a stirring but you cocked it up yourself

Absolutely this.

the follow up posters saying you should have been sat waiting clearly have no idea how a busy company works.

corporations are hierarchy's. It’s not a reflection on the junior colleagues character or capability but it means that she is absolutely expected to make sure you were found in these circumstances. Whether it says it in her job description or not.

Sounds like a misunderstanding she forgot you were in the office today as you normally don't work. She may have thought they got the day mixed up, they may have thought they did if it was booked ages ago.

However, she should have gone to your team and questioned this not just assumed you weren't in. She sounds lazy rather than spiteful

I'm sorry you missed your meeting but this sounds like a complete s##t show. Is this how your company usually operates? If it's an important client you task someone to meet them and bring them where they need to be. It's not that difficult

Unless there’s a drip feed coming and she’s your P.A I don’t really understand why it’s her responsibility to ensure you keep on time to your meetings and show people around to find you?

Like PP’s have said you should have gone into your meeting with this senior consultant and warned him you’ve got a hard finish at 12 or even 11:50 to buy you some time. That’s on you.

I did contact the people I was supposed to be meeting. They said that there must have “been a miscommunication” but they couldn’t come back up today (I only managed to get hold of them after about 30 minutes despite trying). In fact their communication hasn’t been great over the time trying to arrange this meeting and I’d rather not have them involved but I have to because of procedure.

The main person I’ve been in contact with is going to call me next week and I hope we can rearrange/smooth things out/ find another way to communicate about this project but they seem to like coming in person.

Surely the main fault was you not being free for the start of the meeting?

No. The fault was with the person who dismissed the guests and didn't make a concerted effort to find OP. 10 minutes wait is nothing.

We haven't heard all sides. As a boss, I would wish to hear all sides, and I'd probably ring the clients myself to find out about their experience, as well as to apologise to them.

If the person in question had been directly rude or dismissive to the clients in any way, I'd be giving a formal warning, and doing it by the book, through HR so it was on her record. If she had been polite but unhelpful, I would advise her as to her future conduct and make a written record of that advice, and make it clear that that if it happened again, it would be a formal HR situation.

If she was working for me directly by the job as a casual, and I found she had been rude or unhelpful, this would be the first and final warning; one more issue of that sort and there would be no further contracts.

There remains the possibility of a misunderstanding. Had that been the case, I'd have either straightened it out with all parties if it has all been well-intentioned but a cock-up, or knocked all heads together if it was a communication failure all round, whichever was appropriate.

That kind of passive aggression at work from a junior isn't on. That said if it's not her job and she's constantly being taken away from her work you can understand why she's fed up and the rooms need to be better signposted.

Don't you have a reception?

Her behaviour does not sound great, however, If this person has form for being passive and not trustworthy enough of the task in hand then it was on you to leave specific instruction that you were expecting guests for a meeting at 12 and where she could find you.

Do you not use phones, teams chat or any other form of modern media where you can be contacted. ?
They were your guests, you had responsibility to ensure people knew where you were upon their arrival.

I can see how many people would say “you should have been waiting” which in many ways is true but that’s not how places I have worked for, and not this business, work.

It really is normal for people to interrupt you with a “XYZ is here” and how we operate. Imagine if the other team were running late and I would have cut off the consultant to stand around like a dick waiting for them.

Flip the scenario - did you do this on purpose OP, to prove a point? Why on earth you waited until 10 minutes after the meeting time to go out and look to see if they had arrived is beyond me, otherwise.

Do you want this colleague out, by any chance?

Take responsibility for your own time management - that is not your colleagues job. Yes yes, I'm sure you were oh so busy, I bet your colleagues had their own work to do, too.

Somebody in your position should not be ten minutes late to such an important meeting, nor should they be waiting away somewhere to be fetched for a meeting. Entitled, much.

Is this person a receptionist or administrator? If not, YWBVU to expect her to meet and greet your guests. If you are senior enough to be leading important meetings you are senior enough to manage workplace relationships. Your senior's inability to change their ways is not your guests problem. You knew the meeting was at 12, you knew the rooms are difficult to find. You make yourself available close enough to the front door to greet them.

She’s not a receptionist and we don’t get a say in whether it’s her or the other woman that comes down to us on what day. I don’t know exactly what she does in other departments (I think more of an admin role) but on the days she’s with us she has multiple things to do and is expected to take not of flow in and out of the department

Did you make a point of stopping at reception and tell them you had a 12pm meeting and could they please get you from room xxxx or direct the people to room yyyy when they arrived? Did she try to call your phone to tell you they were gere when she "couldn't find you"?

You know she's not reliable, so do everything to cover contingencies (as suggested above) then follow up immediately with her manager when she continues not to care.

Meetings can overrun. I've been in production meetings, you can't just walk out of those for a start, however much they overrun. Someone can have an emergency which means they're late to meet a guest.
You don't have even to have reception duties to know it is your obligation as an employee to make visitors welcome and do everything reasonable to put them in touch with their contact. It does not appear that the person in question did any of that, though I would wish to hear her side too, of course.
Someone can have an emergency which means they're late to meet a guest, anything might happen, getting one of their colleagues to look after the visitors is the very least that should be done..

Is there no receptionist in your building? I agree that there really needs to be a better system for welcoming clients/guests.
Yes, she should have either tried harder to find you or checked in with your team, but if you aren't usually in on a Friday and you hadn't seen her or told her about your meeting, I can understand she might have thought it was a mistake and let the client leave.
It's hard juggling competing priorities, but you need to stick to your timings. It can be quite intimidating interrupting a more senior colleagues meeting. Equally, if you hadn't communicated this info with her, how was she to know you were there and/or that you wanted to be interrupted? The onus was on you to be ready to meet your invited guest on time.

Wondering if colleague did this on purpose

Of course she did. Her manager needs to be involved. Throwing her hands in the air and sending clients who’ve been booked in for 4 months is unprofessional, to put it kindly.

Telephones ? Could anyone have telephoned you?

Maybe I am old fashioned, but when meeting people and there seems to be a problem and someone isn’t there —- we Call on the Telephone !

Dipshit junior… You will find an opportunity to return the favour. Revenge served cold … etc

This is completely on you.

You say if a senior consultant keeps asking you questions then you answer them. What would have happened if she had knocked on your door and the senior consultant kept asking questions.
You told your entire team to fetch you when your clients arrived.
This girl is not part of your team.
You should have been in the reception waiting for them. Failing that you should have given the responsibility of greeting the clients to a particular person.
Your incompetance has wasted the client's time. Take responsibility for this at least.

You must be furious OP. She was completely out of line. It doesn't matter how senior you are, if important visitors arrive you greet them, settle them in a meeting room and get them a coffee.

She may well have been surprised because it's not your normal working day but she should've tried harder. Ask around to see who she asked about you.

No idea why you're getting a hard time. You told people where you were and to get you for the visitors. Waiting in reception would be weird and look a bit desperate as it's not the done thing at all. OP going to reception or the meeting room from her desk or the senior consultant's room would make zero difference to the visitors.

I wouldn’t expect her to find me directly to be honest if she wasn’t sure where I was. But there were 6/7 other people she could have asked and who would have simply said “thanks I’ll let her know they are here” and then they would get me. This has been done before and happens all the time. She could have even buzzed any of the rooms! I go and get my other team members when their clients are here. It just seems like she couldn’t be bothered to speak to anyone today.

Yet instead you left your 'Very Important Clients" who travelled to your office stand around like dicks. Your entitlement is incredible.