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Original poster

my meeting was interrrupted

16 replies

ATempNewName · 08/01/2017 12:16

have name changed in the hope I am not identified in real life.

I had a meeting in work with a VIP client. meeting room is all glass walls and the door was shut. It was on another floor of our building. I know this VIP client well and we were catching up and laughing a little. This client has a loud voice (He clearly has a speech or hearing difficulty although he has never mentioned it nor do I feel its my place to ask!)

our meeting was interrupted by a colleague walking in and telling us sternly to keep our voices down. the client apologised but looked rather pissed off. I apologised to the client and told him I would speak to the colleague in question.

I don't know who this colleague is, I've never seen her before, but I did approach her desk afterwards and tell her "you embarrassed me and that client...I think he has a speech difficulty...please don't do that again".

She rolled her eyes at me, said she had no intention to embarrass us, didn't know he had a difficulty, but she did not apologise.

AIBU to be really pissed off by this? It made our company look bad, it made ME look bad, it embarrassed the poor client (who I was trying to negotiate a contract with).

Was I right to approach her after or should I have left it?

I'm a bit worried she may be a senior manager or director now (we are a very large organisation).

WWYD?

OP posts:

Lilaclily · 08/01/2017 12:17

I'd find out who on earth she is

tickingthebox · 08/01/2017 12:20

Speak to her boss - if you lose the deal/contract she will need a disciplinary. I would probably if I was her boss put her through the process with a written warning.

Finola1step · 08/01/2017 12:21

Yep, you need to know who she is and her job title.

Original poster

ATempNewName · 08/01/2017 12:31

thanks, I was keen to know if IWBU, especially to approach her afterwards. I always worrty that it will be ME who gets into trouble.

I'm going to speak to my manager on Monday (he wasn't in on Friday), but he's very much the 'just let it go' type.

Tried to find out who she is as we have a desk booking system but the desk was booked to a man and it was a woman sitting there. If I see her again, I'll check the name on the booking system again and try to figure out who she is.

OP posts:

daisychain01 · 08/01/2017 12:54

On this occasion It sounds like a one-off situation, unfortunate but probably not worth escalating. I'd be inclined to let it die down and not restoke the fire, so to speak.

We have very poor sound proofing in our meeting rooms (paper thin!) and hot decking in the main open plan area, so a lethal combination where people can get anxy about any talking. It's like being in a library!

In fairness, if I am trying to concentrate and someone has a big booming voice or cackly laugh it does grate, although I wouldn't get arsey at them.

Maybe in future, can you pre book a meeting room which is in a quieter area of the office? Just thinking it's give-and-take - and easier than having to ward off people's snarky comments.

insancerre · 08/01/2017 12:58

She was rude and there was no need for her to interrupt your meeting like that
I would tell her manager as it was just unnecessary

Lemond1fficult · 08/01/2017 12:59

That's terrible. I would defo try and take it further. If she'd jeopardised your contract and lost you the business, that's really serious. As well as very rude - you don't just barge into someone else's meeting without knowing who they are.

Of course, it's possible in a hot-desking office she could be very high-up herself, in which case there's not a lot you can do.

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 08/01/2017 13:09

I'd take it further if you can. Disabilist comments to a client, and no offer to apologise personally once she had been advised she had offended him, is really awful behaviour.

If you lose the client as a result of this, you will get the blame for it, so I would raise it with HR and ask them to track her down so that the incident is recorded (she also seems to have broken your desk booking policy, how would your work have checked she was safe in an emergency if she wasn't where she should be?) Even if they take no further action it will make sure you don't get the blame for situation.

Backingvocals · 08/01/2017 13:14

What a busybody. I can't imagine a situation in which this would have been necessary or appropriate.

daisychain01 · 08/01/2017 16:53

Why don't you drop her an email to summarise the situation:

Date and time
That you were meeting a VIP client (don't give his name due to data privacy)
The fact you felt the colleague was rude and over reacted To his voice.
The possible repercussions of her rudeness and barging in on the meeting

Give the person the opportunity to apologise. Sometimes know they are wrong and get all defensive so won't apologise when confronted.

Then you have it formally documented in case the VIP doesn't give you the business.

Honestly I have seen this kind of situation time and again in corporate due to open plan/ hot decking. Even if that person was completely in the wrong,hauling them over the coals and reporting them to their manager for a "first offence" so to speak,mcould backfire. Try to keep the matter contained. If you can give the message yourself, it's a lot less messy.

NapQueen · 08/01/2017 16:54

Hard to send an email to someone when you don't know who they are

daisychain01 · 08/01/2017 16:56

OK but equally, how will the OP know who MsStroppy's Manager is?

DireTires · 08/01/2017 16:57

Even if you are her junior, her behaviour was appallingly unprofessional. Even if you'd been in a meeting with a fellow colleague, barging in and saying such a thing is rude and unprofessional.

daisychain01 · 08/01/2017 17:00

That's life, some people are bloody stroppy and Bad mannered. Maybe a bad hair day!

Pick one's battles .... Or at least know how to fight a battle so you don't come out with a bloodied nose yourself.

Original poster

ATempNewName · 08/01/2017 19:45

So IABU and shouldn't have said anything, just let it go?

My worry is she could have done this to one of our wee 16 year old apprentices, and of course our clients could have a bad impression of our company.

the lift in our building is not working so I booked that room as it was on the 1st floor to make it easier for the client. This woman was the only person sitting near our meeting room, although there are lots of hot desks around it.

I'm in two minds about what to do. On the one hand, I don't think I should shrug it off but on the other hand, I don't want to look like I'm over reacting either.

OP posts:

daisychain01 · 08/01/2017 21:02

Sorry ATemp I didn't mean to make out that you were wrong to say something at that time - but I personally wouldn't try to escalate it further with the person's line manager, that's all.

It could be a bit too heavy handed.

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