Driving & work meetings

[Dove6FromAbove]

Informal team meetings take place remotely. General updates, that sort of thing. Manager asked people to join even if driving.

Nobody should be requested to join a work meeting whilst driving, even if it is hands free.

Are these 1) calls taking place during contracted hours and 2) is the driving also work related?

Only reason that I could think of for manager being reasonable here is if there’s eg a 5pm meeting, employee is contracted until 5.30pm but drives 5pm-5.30pm to pick up a child. In that case it’s very generous of the employer to let person join while driving (although arguably it’s not a good idea).

We have a regular 9.30am meeting (contracted from 9.30am so it’s first thing) and if people have transport issues they often join from the train, but that’s their choice and not a frequent occurrence.

I’m not sure it would be any more dangerous than a phone call from the car. But I do a lot of calls from my car so travel time isn’t wasted.

Our company has mandated that nobody is to take work calls when driving

Health and safety would be very against that in my workplace. We are not even allowed to walk and talk in the phone on site or text while walking!

@Cheepcheepcheep yes the meeting is during contracted hours.

Those driving are usually commuting to the office, sometimes not their usual office or to a meeting.

If you're on the train, I think that's understandable.

I think it's the fact you're driving and also trying to concentrate on the info discussed in the meeting that doesn't make it sit right with me.

Thanks to those who have posted so far. I mentioned it to my manager, their view is that it's like taking a call but took it on board.

I think there's a difference between being asked to join and someone deciding to without a mandate from above.

No. Just No. I am pretty sure the corporate insurance wouldn't cover in those circumstances. Or the driving insurance.

yes the meeting is during contracted hours.
Those driving are usually commuting to the office, sometimes not their usual office or to a meeting.

Slightly confused - surely they shouldn't be commuting during their contracted hours, barring unexpected circumstances.

I don't think people should be asked to join a work meeting while driving. I don't think people should be commuting during working hours.

When we were doing telephone consultations during COVID our medical defence unions said we had to ask the patient to pull over and not have a conversation whilst driving as it wasn't considered safe.

We have to pull over to take a call when driving for work. There's no way we'd be allowed to join a meeting while driving! If we were in the car during such a meeting, as people are at my work, would be expected to park up and join/contribute to the meeting.

I'm another one confused why people are commuting during working hours.

We'd be expected to pull over. It absolutely would not be acceptable to join a Microsoft teams call whilst driving during business hours.

I know some people that will dial in and listen to town hall style events whilst driving but nothing they would need to participate in.

Plenty of people commute during work hours for various reasons I do it a few times a week because I log on at 7 and then log back off at 8:25 and drop my dc to school and then get to site for 8:50.

If that’s an established set up then you’re not commuting during work hours, it’s a meeting that’s happening outside your work hours. I don’t work Mondays, so Mondays are not my contracted hours, and I couldnt be expected to dial in any more than I would be expected to at 8am or 8pm on a workday.

Just because the rest of the workplace is working then, doesn’t mean it in your working hours.

Why are people commuting in their contacted hours? As much as I would say no to should you log in to zoom meetings if yiu are commuting when you should be working then it's a yes.