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Original poster

Work meeting etiquette

84 replies

Meetingtimes · 06/05/2025 20:37

just been on back to back meetings all day again, and feeling so frustrated with with following;

  • General update meeting - everyone has a 5 min slot, people going over this consistently with absolute drivel nobody needs to know about, prompts that there time is up, but carry on in the weeds
  • Meeting running over, some smart arse asks a question that could of been asked directly to the person at a later time
  • No cameras on, even by the presenters, I kid you not I once did a full days training with an external trainer and they didn’t switch their camera on once!
  • Having an open calendar policy, but still getting diary clashing invites
  • Not responding to an invite at all
  • leaving your mic on instead of just having a default so it mutes on calls with 10s of people

I might just be stressed (from all the tedious meetings) but why do people do this, especially the first 2?!?

OP posts:
Venalopolos · 23/07/2025 10:08

Someone2025 · 07/05/2025 00:38

Don’t be ridiculous!!
I’m a highly qualified professional ( 7 years to qualify) and if I choose to wear make up I will, if I choose not to I won’t, it isn’t necessary for cameras to be turned on in most meetings anyway.

In my profession 90% of people have their cameras turned off so it makes no difference. When I’m in the office as I’m a senior member of staff I want to and need to look professional and good grooming is part of that.

If you don’t wear make up that’s fine but you really need to understand that a lot of highly qualified intelligent women actually do

Such a silly comment

Show quote history

I don’t think this was a judgement on those who wear make up. It was a judgement on those who say they need to wear make up, then don’t bother and instead prefer to be rude to their colleagues.

I don’t care what you look like, but I do care about seeing your face when we’re having a meeting.

EBearhug · 23/07/2025 12:34

Allisnotlost1 · 23/07/2025 09:37

Eh? No it hasn’t, Teams has replaced (at least partially) face to face working. If everything could have been done on the phone we’d have had large scale hybrid/WFH way before Covid.

Show quote history

Some of us did. In my previous job, I worked with people all round the world. As long as there was a network connection, it made no odds to me if they were at home in France, in the office in Germany or on a nearby desk in my English office. We used conference calls before the networks could cope with videoconferencing, and even then, some people had bandwidth problems if their home network was slow.

TunnocksOrDeath · 23/07/2025 13:52

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 23/07/2025 10:05

I disagree with this. Cameras should be on unless a good reason, or maybe someone else is presenting for a prolonged period with slides, so you can hardly see the other people any way.

Teams meetings aren’t the descendants of conference calls, in most cases they replace in person meetings, or are hybrid with some people in the room and others on Teams. The least people can do is be visible. It’s much harder to converse with someone you can’t see - especially re knowing when someone is finished and not constantly interrupting.

Show quote history

In our organisation they have replaced conference calls. We're global, and no one ever ran a daily update meeting by flying all the participants to the same location, so it's always been phone-centric. Before Teams we had Skype and before that it was a dial-in and people would email the data/presentations beforehand.
I've just lost the best manager I've worked with in ages. I never met him, as the team is split across three countries and he is not based in the uk, but we spoke every day, and he's very knowledgeable and supportive. He did switch his camera on once, but only to show us the (lack of) view from his desk.
Different organisations have different cultures, and what works for one industry might not work at all for others.

PauliesWalnuts · 23/07/2025 13:57

Aspanielstolemysanity · 20/07/2025 01:53

I'm partially deaf. It's really important to me that people have their cameras on so I can lip read when needed.
It's not a beauty contest. It's ridiculous people are keeping cameras off our of vanity

Agree. I minute high-level committees with enormous spend approvals and I need to see who is approving what.

Allisnotlost1 · 23/07/2025 14:10

Youcancallmeirrelevant · 23/07/2025 09:56

Not for our organisation. We're all still in 5 days a week, we just use teams instead of the phone or conference calls

Show quote history

Your one example doesn’t negate the broader trend though - for most people, Teams is a sub for face to face, not phones.

Allisnotlost1 · 23/07/2025 14:12

EBearhug · 23/07/2025 12:34

Some of us did. In my previous job, I worked with people all round the world. As long as there was a network connection, it made no odds to me if they were at home in France, in the office in Germany or on a nearby desk in my English office. We used conference calls before the networks could cope with videoconferencing, and even then, some people had bandwidth problems if their home network was slow.

Show quote history

I did too, but for most people in the public and voluntary sectors (maybe different in private) Teams etc became a reality during the pandemic.

LucyLoo1972 · 27/01/2026 04:10

Someone2025 · 07/05/2025 00:38

Don’t be ridiculous!!
I’m a highly qualified professional ( 7 years to qualify) and if I choose to wear make up I will, if I choose not to I won’t, it isn’t necessary for cameras to be turned on in most meetings anyway.

In my profession 90% of people have their cameras turned off so it makes no difference. When I’m in the office as I’m a senior member of staff I want to and need to look professional and good grooming is part of that.

If you don’t wear make up that’s fine but you really need to understand that a lot of highly qualified intelligent women actually do

Such a silly comment

Show quote history

I always thought in most professional environments some make-up would be the norm to look well-groomed

LucyLoo1972 · 27/01/2026 04:12

PauliesWalnuts · 23/07/2025 13:57

Agree. I minute high-level committees with enormous spend approvals and I need to see who is approving what.

Show quote history

yes - I agree, im hard of hearing too an it really helps a lot

Zanatdy · 27/01/2026 04:23

WhoAreYouTalkingTo · 06/05/2025 20:44

Having lost 24 minutes of my life today to a meeting that could have been a two line email I feel for you. That said, some people have shit Internet or are ashamed of their houses etc so don't turn their cameras on. That is OK, we don't know our own privilege sometimes.

People dragging out meetings drive me mad.

I have an open calendar but often get double or triple booked because people outside the organisation can't see my calendar.

I feel your pain, but recognise that there are some reasons why things happen.

They can blur their background. Lack of cameras on is likely why many employers are wanting staff back in the office more. Some people in my dept kick off massively when asked to put their camera on. I find it bizarre, and hope they all have to come in more. If you’re working, you should be dressed and ready to be on camera. It really winds me up, especially some of the content we discuss, we have no idea if people are in a private place. I think it should be mandatory to have cameras on.

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