Boss setting up team meetings for times that I'm not available

[HerdingSquirrels]

What to do about it, that's the question. My boss arranges all team meetings for 4.30 or 5pm, or for days that I'm not working. Not intentional on my boss' part, I don't think (boss is in the US, the team are in the UK). I have to leave at 4.30 to pick up my child from the childminders, meaning I can't make the meetings. I've explained the situation and asked if they be rescheduled but my boss says it's not possible. Anyone else been in this situation? How did you resolve it?

How about you reorganise? Just look at diaries and say, can we make it at this time please? Well enough in advance that it doesn't mess with anyone else?
I'm guessing she doesn't like your hours.

Also as your DH is self employed why can't he be more flexible or have one shorter day? He's the boss!?

Self-employed client work is about as inflexible as life gets IME.

Then I would question whether it was really self employed.

Really, insancerre? OP needs to commute.

"Self-employed client work is about as inflexible as life gets IME."

My experience is the exact opposite and its the main reason I am self-employed. You don't have to be at the beck and call of one employer full time.

If you have lots of different clients you can't obviously be available to all of them on demand. If they need someone for that they need to pay someone a full time salary.

My clients pay me an hourly rate or a project fee for completion of a proje t by an agreed date/retainer fee for reasonable availability on an ongoing basis but if I have a meeting with someone else/school run/school play/sports day/whatever and I'm therefore not available at that specific time on that specific day, that's the deal.

Flowery, it does vary though. I'm self employed and I work full days on a series of projects for different people. I can swap days around and have gaps between each project but when I'm doing a day, it's a full day.

Really, insancerre? OP needs to commute.

So she leaves early to dial into the call from home then gets to childminder for 6.

I agree - I suggested that upthread. However, insancerre seemed to be suggesting something else as she talked about staying late one day and leaving early the next.

I'd also leave early and dial in from home - problem solved.

Jean, your idea of 'flexibility' seems to be the OP saying to her boss 'ok, we both know my contractual hours are 8-4.30, five days/week, but of course it's ok to unilaterally vary my contract to 8-5.30 two of those days, without negotiation and without remuneration'. Not only would the OP have to work longer hours on a regular basis without pay, but she'd also incur extra expense in order to do so.

Not sure I see the 'flexibility' in that.

AKnickerful I absolutely agree - the degree of flexibility depends on the nature of the work involved. Mine is particularly flexible.

I guess my point is that saying as a blanket statement that self-employed=inflexible just isn't true. I come across lots of self-employed people and I can't think of any who don't have at least a degree of flexibility, certainly more than working for one employer.

Can you leave early and call in from home? Our business is global and this is a regular occurrence for people who have childcare commitments. Flexibility isn't just about hours but where you work from.

I agree with colleagues in the US that I can do calls up until 5pm and then not again until 8pm. For those in AP I can do calls at 6am or 7am but not 8am as that's drop off time. I find the AP colleagues used to do things very late and the US guys start v early and the office is empty by 3pm.

Perhaps you need an additional child care solution - ie: what would happen if your child minder was sick?

Can you find someone who would do occasional pick-ups and care for your child either in their home or your's until you return?

Have you specifically asked your childminder if she will look after your child later than 6pm - obviously at premium pay?

DH works for a US firm and depending on the time of the call, he'll sometimes leave early (well, relatively!) and dial in from home in the evening.

I imagine if CM is sick, OP asks a friend for a one off favour or she or DH leave early or work from home.

I agree with Jean.

If you have a genuine conflict at 4:30 - which it appears you do it is fine to say so but you have to provide a legitimate alternative and that may well be the compromise of working late in the evening.

I expect my senior team to manage their own diaries. I expect them to make themselves available to ensure the job gets done - I could not be less concerned if they have to go to a medical appointment/attend sports day/take the car to the vet provided they show the same flexibility in return.

When you are at a senior in a multi nat saying "I am only available 9-4" (or whatever your hours are) is going to get you no where.

Another agreeing with both Jean and PastPerfect. It's fine if you wish to stick to your contracted hours but don't then expect to be able to ever leave early for parents evening/dentist appointment/to pick up a sick child or come in late because it's the Book Week parade, the class assembly, the boiler man coming at 9 etc.

Sigh.

Either OP or her DH has to pick up her child. She's arranged that he drop off, she picks up. This isn't a one off work crisis, it's a weekly event. So she and DH either swap a given day and the meeting always happens that day, or she goes home early to dial in, or she briefs herself on it some other way.

There's no "just be flexible" option open - she can be flexible but only within constraints.

aknickerfull sigh

It appears the OP could still pick her child up after the call (taken either at work or home) but doesn't want to because her DC would be too tired.

OP have you suggested a call at 7pm - or after whenever your DH gets home?

And whoever suggested explaining this in terms of impact on DH - you're insane! I'm quite happy to hear that you have to be at piano recital/picking up from school trip/ taking DD to drs (provided we have the give and take thing going) but the day someone tells me that they cannot make a meeting cos of the likely "impact on their DH" is the day I roll my eyes and mentally note that their career is not progressing.

This is always the problem with global working. There is a smaller crossover of time to fit all the required meetings in. If this time slot suits everyone else then I don't think it is feasible to shift it. Have you suggested flexing your working hours on those days, leaving earlier and doing the meeting from home?

I agree with the users who say that in multinational companies, this is common practice and it is expected that senior staff will work around it or at least porpoise solutions rather than being negative and saying that they can't do a timeslot. It may not be fair but it is very career limiting if you don't. I have regular calls with Asia and so do these from home whilst getting kids breakfast and dressed.

An hour and half commute?
That's insane
I read it as the op is unwilling to leave her DC at the cms in order to do the meeting because he gets too tired
Not that she can't do it logistically
And what's wrong with working late and then leaving earlier the next day?
Or even starting a bit later?

An hour and a half commute isn't insane. OP may need to leave by 1630 so it takes an hour because traffic builds up so by 1700 it takes an hour and a half. Or maybe that's timing to get her train.

And she can't work any later if the CM shuts at 6pm, which is pretty standard, unless her DH picks up.

"Ds is shattered by the time I pick up so it's not fair on him to pick him up any later, and CM won't cover past 6 anyway."

I read this as even if she wanted to pick up later than 6, she couldn't.