Disastrous Teams meeting - is it as bad as I think?

[BoringSilentHill]

Name changed as work related.

important teams meeting. I’m sat on couch, suddenly my dog jumps up and rams her nose into my eye, my mic is off . I try to push dog away and she thinks I’m playing so starts wrestling with me. Big dog. I notice the talking has stopped and colleagues are half way between amused and horrified.

I manage to sort this one out and everything is back on track until DH suddenly starts belting out Rule Britannia - this time my mic is on and in his defence, he didn’t know I was on teams. It was because we watched the choir.

this is a new job / one week in. How bad is it really or am I overthinking it?

Funny but definitely unprofessional. You need to say to your partner to keep silent if you share a space and the dog needs to be put away for the duration of any meetings unless it’s a very informal team.

Is this a joke?
why are you not at a desk in a room with the door shut?
you should not be sitting on a sofa with your husband and dog next to you.

As OP hasn’t come back, I’m starting to think it is ….. maybe she’s in a meeting with her new boss about her setup

While we are all comfortable with each other at work as we have known each other for a number of years, I agree that sitting on the sofa with a dog and singing husbnad does not create a good first impression.

We all get provided with the right tools to do the job - laptop, headsets, 2 x widescreen monitors, mouse and keyboard, and there is no way I could work not at a desk.

I don't wear make up or dress smartly for WFH, but I don't sit slouched on a sofa either.

I am starting to wonder as OP hasn't been back. Perhaps she posted as she thought it might be a funny story to tell but its all fallen a bit flat. Especially amongst those of us who realise wfh is a privilege and one we should take seriously

Pets often intrude in our meetings, but we are expected to have a suitable work-from-home area that is not public in our home. Members of our household in earshot or intruding are very much frowned on - mostly due to the nature of our work. The odd doorbell ringing is fine, and some of my closer team members, myself included, when we are talking towards the end of the day, will mute and yell at kids coming home. I really don't like people doing calls on their sofa but it has been pointed out to me that some people have issues and it is more comfortable. Can't help it - I still judge, especially when I end up looking up their nose!

Reasonably unlikely to have a random dog jump on you, a husband start singing patriotic songs and sit in completely the wrong furniture for a meeting, when in the office no? Maybe your office is cray cray. Either way, get back there!

I’d find it funny. Sounds like there’s never a dull moment. My husband would do this but would more than likely belt out some Eminem song 🤦‍♀️.

surely they’ll find the funny side. I would.

I’d a just like to also note the op didn’t say she worked from home. Maybe it was her day off and she was having a meeting. Don’t be so uptight life isn’t that serious.

No ta, I've been happily WFH for 6 years now and no intention of ever sitting in an office again.

OP please come back and let us know how it worked out. I think that's understandable but a learning experience. It really depends who your boss is. I had one boss who would have freaked out if that happened. My current boss would understand.

Not the end of the world and i personally would find it funny as a one off, plus this is one way to break the ice withnew colleagues/ team... I suggest foldable desk of you only use laptop and dont have much space in the house and a chair. If you wfh regularly, you'll need this as sofa working on a daily basis doesnt do you any favours to your back and posture and will end up with back pains.
Invest in a good chair and a desk you can put away if needed.
Always announce household members when you're in a meeting so they keep the volume down. Always close the door when in a meeting so dog doesnt bother you unless you want to introduce him to the team.
I'm expecting the managers will watch out for the way you present yourself in future meetings :).
Good luck with the new job!

My cat threw up on the dog once when I was on a teams call. He was on the sofa and she was sat on the back of it. Bless him, he never saw it coming 😂

Haha I'd have found great amusement in this 😄 my 5 month old kitten made his Teams debut last week, scaled my chair, got to face height and screamed in my face while my mic was on. It was only 3 of us and they saw the funny side thankfully

The crash in demand for office blocks indicates that employers have little intention of spending money in providing workplaces again

I've worked from home for about 13 years and for me it's really important that I'm at a chair and a table in my home office (which also doubles up as dining room/gaming/laundry etc but not while I'm working). This is also much better for your back.

WFH is convenient for family life but the only time there was any risk of the situation you describe was during Covid lockdowns. Before that they'd be in school, after school club, or with a family member. Now they're older teens so it's not an issue.

What are the expectations at your work for your home office set up? For teams meetings or zooms, I'd defo not be on the sofa. I've only ever been on my laptop on the sofa if I've been unwell. Maybe you've got a more relaxed organisation.

I wonder if we work in the same place as I was also aware of an incident like this in mine - unless it’s a not a once in a lifetime occurrence 🙈

I love seeing people's dogs on Team meetings, but you shouldn't have been disturbed by an out of control husband or dog. You need to find a quiet place to work where you can focus & close the door. Not your sitting room sofa!

Nothing will ever be as bad as that gentleman on an important news video call where his kids stroll in and then his wife is on her hands and knees pulling the kid out 😆. We've all been there. I'm sure someone will have something say about it, but then again, that person is usually so boring that they have nothing better to do in life but pick faults and moan! I think I'd have found it very amusing.

It's time. Get out of your PJs and face the world.

I’d be laughing my head off!

The dog would have been a semi-regular thing at my work and got a bit of laughter but no comment. The singing husband would have been a new one but hilarious! I'm not in a client facing role so most teams calls are pretty low stakes.

No problems whatsoever with the world thanks. If work is the only reason you leave the house you need to get a life.

Hmmm… why are you sat on the sofa at work? Very unprofessional. Dog and family shouldn’t be in your workspace to start with.

But surely it depends on the situation? Why is the fact people complain about something always referred to as “boring” etc. Now as a one off sometimes these things happen. But imagine that news interview was talking about an awful mass shooting at a school. Or a horrible accident that killed lots of children. While everyone can think that’s quite funny in the long run, it would be weird for everyone watching to start laughing and to think how hilarious it was that a very serious report has been interrupted.

I have had to have multiple video calls with specialist doctors in the past few years. About very serious health issues. Would I have found it hilarious that a dog was jumping all over them or there was a spouse singing rule Britannia while she was telling me I’d never be able to have children? No not really.

If I was on a work call where we were all being told about future redundancies and the person telling us had kids shouting and climbing all over them I wouldn’t find it funny.

If I was on a boring standard work call and these things happened, sure, I wouldn’t really care. But because it’s not hilarious in all situations doesn’t make people boring to complain.