Annoying things your work colleagues do all the time? #4

[newaccount2022]

I used to work for a Swiss company such was their dedication to lunch they’d just leave the meeting at 12pm no matter what was going on.

I work with a lot of Swedish people and they are like this with their coffee/cake breaks. sometimes there’s things our office want to wrap up before end of the week and the Swedish guys just decline the meeting because they’re having a cake break in their office.

 

[TheGlossy]

I personally wouldn’t leave a meeting just because it’s 12pm. It’s rude.

My issue is with people who see in your calendar that you’ve already had 4 back to back meetings by 1pm and your afternoon looks just as packed, so they just slide it their meeting during the only free slot you have which should be your lunch break.

 

[JustmeKC]

I personally wouldn’t leave a meeting just because it’s 12pm. It’s rude.

My issue is with people who see in your calendar that you’ve already had 4 back to back meetings by 1pm and your afternoon looks just as packed, so they just slide it their meeting during the only free slot you have which should be your lunch break.

But - we don’t need to accept every meeting request.

I’ve had to train myself into that way of thinking and it’s hard; it’s ok to decline a meeting because it doesn’t suit. It’s up to the organiser to find a suitable slot, not the recipient to accept all meetings that come their way. Obviously we need to make exceptions from time to time, but mostly I don’t anymore.

 

[StrangeBadger]

But - we don’t need to accept every meeting request.

I’ve had to train myself into that way of thinking and it’s hard; it’s ok to decline a meeting because it doesn’t suit. It’s up to the organiser to find a suitable slot, not the recipient to accept all meetings that come their way. Obviously we need to make exceptions from time to time, but mostly I don’t anymore.

I used to work 4 days a week and my boss used to put important project meetings in on the day I was off. Every time I'd reply and say I'm not in and she'd say I could call in if I had updates and it was the only time.

Which I didn't because f that, I took a 20% pay reduction to work 20% less time.

Then she gave me feedback that it had been mentioned I wasnt contributing to the projects.

Of which I gave the feedback to HR that she was discriminating against me for being part time. Which fixed the issue lol

So I never let anyone book meetings in that don't allow a break or respect your hours.

 

[Catnmouse]

I used to work 4 days a week and my boss used to put important project meetings in on the day I was off. Every time I'd reply and say I'm not in and she'd say I could call in if I had updates and it was the only time.

Which I didn't because f that, I took a 20% pay reduction to work 20% less time.

Then she gave me feedback that it had been mentioned I wasnt contributing to the projects.

Of which I gave the feedback to HR that she was discriminating against me for being part time. Which fixed the issue lol

So I never let anyone book meetings in that don't allow a break or respect your hours.

God that grates. What a bloody cheek of her to go to HR.

I almost always refuse meetings between 12-2pm as I get very hangry!

 

[StrangeBadger]

God that grates. What a bloody cheek of her to go to HR.

I almost always refuse meetings between 12-2pm as I get very hangry!

She's the same boss that asked me to present to sales, marketing and senior stake holders a on my first day back after being off sick following an operation for 3 months. The presentation was on a project started whilst I was off so I'm still not sure what she was expecting me to do.

 

[WeHadFunRight]

God that grates. What a bloody cheek of her to go to HR.

I almost always refuse meetings between 12-2pm as I get very hangry!

Fully agree - I won’t book a meeting with someone between those hours without checking with them first.

I would say people leaving a meeting at 12pm or whenever isn’t necessarily “rude” it’s a cultural thing, and also shows that they respect their own boundaries - although communication goes such a long way so being told “hey, we need to break for lunch at this time” is way more useful than suddenly losing half your meeting attendees. the fact we make ourselves miserable trying to please others or because we feel a duty to being flexible/sacrificing our needs is a cultural problem that we have and should/could be addressed.

If your colleagues who have put boundaries around when they will/won’t be available seem more satisfied/at ease with their work life then maybe it’s time to take some inspiration from them. As long as you’re still producing results i to expectations then management tend to (in my experience) show some flexibility.

 

[Catnmouse]

She's the same boss that asked me to present to sales, marketing and senior stake holders a on my first day back after being off sick following an operation for 3 months. The presentation was on a project started whilst I was off so I'm still not sure what she was expecting me to do.

Where do people get the entitlement?! I had a boss ask me for a handover (which I'd already given him) about a month after I'd left. I ignored his messages because he never paid attention and just didn't want to look clueless in front of the client

 

[TheGlossy]

Yes of course, you can always decline. I’m not shy about declining. Ive done it plenty of times. I just get annoyed when it happens is all.

When you work with people who approach the end of their day when you log in, you can’t expect them to stay online until after your lunch break.
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Fully agree - I won’t book a meeting with someone between those hours without checking with them first.

I would say people leaving a meeting at 12pm or whenever isn’t necessarily “rude” it’s a cultural thing, and also shows that they respect their own boundaries - although communication goes such a long way so being told “hey, we need to break for lunch at this time” is way more useful than suddenly losing half your meeting attendees. the fact we make ourselves miserable trying to please others or because we feel a duty to being flexible/sacrificing our needs is a cultural problem that we have and should/could be addressed.

If your colleagues who have put boundaries around when they will/won’t be available seem more satisfied/at ease with their work life then maybe it’s time to take some inspiration from them. As long as you’re still producing results i to expectations then management tend to (in my experience) show some flexibility.

They have no boundaries. It’s a company culture issue.

 

[shadowcat5]

Constantly ask why I am not in the office. I had a nervous breakdown a few months ago and as a result have done hybrid ever since until I am a bit more stable. I obviously am not going to announce that on the work group chat but it's always so awkward when they ask cause I don't know how to reply

 

[Chickenandgravy]

I really despise when I'm a backshift and I come in and 2 of the day shift are sitting on their phones while I run around like an hole trying to do jobs they could've done earlier

 

[TheGlossy]

This person in my team

I cannot deal with them talking about their dog every single time we interact. We were on a group call on Friday, then again today and they talked about their dog in both calls. Then, I was in the office this afternoon and we spoke twice. The dog was again mentioned in both chats.

Nothing against dog owners, but if you cannot have a conversation without mentioning your dog, you must have dependency issues.

I don’t know which one is worse - parents who talk about their kids all the time or dog owners who won’t stop talking about their dogs.

 

[WeHadFunRight]

Constantly ask why I am not in the office. I had a nervous breakdown a few months ago and as a result have done hybrid ever since until I am a bit more stable. I obviously am not going to announce that on the work group chat but it's always so awkward when they ask cause I don't know how to reply

I had someone teasing me about not being in the office and eventually I just told them that my working arrangements were between me and my manager and as long as he’s happy with my performance I’ll continue to do what I’m doing. They seemed to think it was harmless “Bantz” but I asked them to stop because I found it very annoying.

theres definitely a clear divide that’s formed between some people who go into the office a lot and people who prefer to work hybrid or home majority. I fully get the benefits of going into the office sometimes, but also I’m more than aware of my productivity in both environments.

 

[shadowcat5]

I had someone teasing me about not being in the office and eventually I just told them that my working arrangements were between me and my manager and as long as he’s happy with my performance I’ll continue to do what I’m doing. They seemed to think it was harmless “Bantz” but I asked them to stop because I found it very annoying.

theres definitely a clear divide that’s formed between some people who go into the office a lot and people who prefer to work hybrid or home majority. I fully get the benefits of going into the office sometimes, but also I’m more than aware of my productivity in both environments.

I don’t want to make a mountain of nothing but he does it on a group chat with everyone, so multiple teams. It’s really embarrassing. the worst bit is I have to go in tomorrow as it’s my day in the office.

 

[WeHadFunRight]

I don’t want to make a mountain of nothing but he does it on a group chat with everyone, so multiple teams. It’s really embarrassing. the worst bit is I have to go in tomorrow as it’s my day in the office.

I would 1:1 message him and ask him to knock it off. You don’t have to explain yourself, just tell him it’s getting old and he needs to move on. Pointless letting it go on any longer, I hate it when people think they’re funny calling people out in front of a group - does nothing but make you feel like crap and them look like a total head.

 

[Black.bird]

Not everyone is in a position to be 'allowed' to decline meetings though - what if you're the PA/EA to an executive, or the project coordinator, and are required to be there to take minutes?

I've worked at client sites where they've cunningly called meetings that take place between 12-2pm 'brown bag meetings' - i.e., bring your own lunch. But actually working and eating isn't great for digestion.

One of my clients had a very strict rule - no meetings between 11:30am and 2:30pm - because they wanted their staff to take a decent break and return refreshed. They also offered yoga and massages! (Employee-paid, but they were heavily subsidised). On the very rare occasion when a meeting had to take place over that period, it was fully catered (and came out of the organiser's budget).

 

[ChastityDingle]

I would 1:1 message him and ask him to knock it off. You don’t have to explain yourself, just tell him it’s getting old and he needs to move on. Pointless letting it go on any longer, I hate it when people think they’re funny calling people out in front of a group - does nothing but make you feel like crap and them look like a total head.

I agree.
Knowing me, I would give him an almighty sarcastic putdown though which might not be ideal. Oops.

And I hope that you are doing okay @shadowcat5 that's the most important thing.

 

[ChastityDingle]

I stole this from the memes thread, it might give someone a laugh when dealing with annoying colleagues!

 

[TheGlossy]

So true….I’m always quiet around people I don’t like! I talk a lot, so if I’m quiet, it means I don’t like you lol.

 

[no-no]

Not my immediate colleagues, but people across the business have to be chased to the nth degree and I still don’t have what I need from them. I’ve had this as a customer the past few years, too. It seems like everyone only wants to signpost and not do their job.