To think it’s inappropriate for a colleague to vape during an MS Teams meeting?

[NimblePoster]

I was in a meeting today and one of my colleagues was vaping the whole time. I get that people may vape, but isn’t it a bit disrespectful to do it on a professional call? Would you say something or is it just me being sensitive?

Having said that it actually wouldn’t bother me if someone else was…. 🤷‍♀️

I think this is one of those things where everyone will say "it's inappropriate, it's unprofessional" but be unable to explain exactly what is wrong with it or how it actually impacts either the other person or the quality of the work being done.

So quite literally a tosser then 😂🤣

It's a persona thing.
It's suggests your treating it like a casual friendship meeting rather than a business meeting.
It's the same a clothes you don't wear a casual cartoon t-shirt to a teams meeting the t-shirt isn't going to affect the quality of work but it suggests your not being serious about the job.

But I sort of know what you mean it's hard to say why it's unprofessional, other than it's a very casual thing to do.

Probably up there with eating soup or cereal in a meeting you just wouldn't.

I do think it’s inappropriate and unprofessional. If you’re WFH you should have the same standards as if you’re in an office (where vaping isn’t legal). I hate the clouds of smoke that vapes produce so that could affect how people come across and are understood on camera.
I’d also challenge anyone who smoked or vaped on camera in a meeting I was in, never had to though. But not anyone drinking a cuppa or eating as you’d do both in the office.

My workplace is still quite formal but I get that in others it wouldn’t be an issue. I think it depends where you work and what the norms are.

What a strange thing to be bothered about. Honestly can't imagine why anyone would care

Don’t you? I see loads!

I vape but wouldn't on a professional teams meeting (not that I have them). It's inappropriate and unprofessional but it's not harming anyone so it's similar to wearing pyjamas or something. It's just not classy. It wouldn't bother me at all though, I find rebels amusing.

i vape in Teams Meetings, but only with my own team, everyone else i dont

this is how I feel about people who come on Teams calls in their PJs/oodies.

I absolutely hate it. It is so slobby. But… I also recognise it doesn’t actually affect me so I would never say anything.

Of course it is inappropriate.

The employee should know that without needed to be told.

I am a manager and would tell that person that their behaviour was not acceptable and it would make me question their judgement.

A cup of tea or coffee is fine, beyond that it is not appropriate for people to vape, smoke or drink alcohol during work meetings.

Bloody obvious I would say...whatever happened to common sense.

I hesitate to take a sip of my tea on a Teams meeting! Definitely not appropriate to vape. Never seen someone do that.

This wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I drink tea/coffee on Teams calls and have been known to wolf down a quick lunch (albeit with camera off!) if my day is back to back.

As long as they're paying attention, who cares if they're smoking/vaping?

I wouldn’t say anything in a meeting with outside clients but wouldn’t do it myself. I do vape and will do so if I’m just having a call with a friendly colleague, not in a call with management.
I agree though, standards have slipped, people turn up to meetings in pyjamas and dressing gowns and I just think what a fucking slob!
Again, not my business so not my place to raise it, doesn’t affect me in any way.

They should go outside. Vapes do smell

On Teams I don't think I'd usually notice. I can't smell it and it doesn't impact me at all. So no, it wouldn't bother me and I wouldn't say something.

But I wear pjs to work from home and don't always bother to put a jumper over them on Teams calls. I do work in a very casual company so maybe that is having an effect on my response.

Ah didn't notice that we are on teams. I wouldn't care then as can't smell the stinky thing.

It's up there with eating. I wouldn't be munching my way through a teams call.

I agree. I’d tell any of my team members in no uncertain terms it’s unprofessional and that they shouldn’t do anything they wouldn’t do in an in person meeting.

Tea/coffee fine and we accept that dress code isn’t same at home though anything other than a casual catch up then at least be vaguely presentable.

Name checks out

In a functioning society there has to be certain standards and rules upon which we all agree. Going against the norm and vaping on a work call when it's not social acceptable makes one out.

Go to any secondary school in the UK about 3.30pm and you’ll see hundreds of kids calling as they flood out the gates. You’ll know from about a mile away as you’ll see plumes of smoke.

It's no less unprofessional than having your dog jumping up in to the screen, or your cat walking across the keyboard, or saying you can't come in to the office as you have an Amazon delivery, or blocking out part of your diary to do the school run- all of which happen at my work on a regular basis.

I have a colleague who does this.

I agree with this.

If I have to eat my lunch during a Teams meeting due to back-to-back calls, I always turn off both my camera and mic during the times I have to actually chew and swallow, then I turn both back on again when I'm done eating. It's just being polite.

I wouldn't expect someone to vape during a meeting in the office, therefore I'd consider it inappropriate for them to do the same during a Teams call. It's completely unnecessary and I'd expect their manager to have a quiet word with them afterwards.