First thing in the morning. Had to call into a meeting at one of our facilities up north. For which no one had provided a phone number. Brilliant. Simply brilliant.
I try to use the company's chat software to ask a guy for a call-in number. Chat to our other facility was down. No response whatsoever. Did get a message indicating that there was a problem. Please try again. Did so. Nothing. No response. Nada. So I send an e-mail.
Finally I get an e-mail back. Giving me the call in number. Yay! At the same time my cell phone chirps. What the heck? As I'm trying to dial in to the meeting, I'm also checking my cell phone, I have a voice mail.
It's from one of the guys up north, telling me they sent me an e-mail and would I call in?
Uh, duh! Really? You have to waste my cell minutes to ask me to call in to a meeting for which I requested a call in number? What did you think I wanted the number for? My freaking archives!
Okay, so I'm cranky. The meeting is intensely boring. Like most corporate meetings they invite a bunch of people of whom only perhaps half are needed for the entire meeting. The rest of us are simply listening, wishing we were anywhere but in the meeting.
I hate meetings!
And this meeting is even more boring than usual. Scheduling. We're talking scheduling. I'd rather watch paint dry. At least you can see progress.
Groan...
And there is always the one idiot who has to ask several really stupid questions so everyone on the confrence line knows he was there and paying attention.
ReplyDeleteSo, you've obviously been to a few of these.
DeleteMy employers figured out that if the conducted enough employee meetings, store managers would be unable to meet labor cost goals because extra coverage was needed, and they wouldn't have to pay incentive bonuses.
ReplyDeleteThe employees didn't mind at all because the meetings usually included lunch and didn't involve doing anything like work.
Generally speaking they were really, really stupid and ineffective.
Stupid AND ineffective? Sounds like a typical meeting!
DeleteI had a scheme at my last (and final) place o' employment: I'd tell my shift supervisor "I'm going to a meeting, if I'm not back in 20 minutes come and get me." So, 20 minutes later he or she would stick her head into the meeting and say "Buck, we need you. Now." I'd excuse myself and be gone.
ReplyDeleteThe idiots never caught on.
Nice technique!
DeleteI see: 10, 10, 9.5, 10 and 7.5(?)
(Obviously a judge from the old Eastern bloc.)
Friday morning meeting...that's just wrong...contact your Pres., there may be copensation available
ReplyDeleteI know. That's just wrong on so many different levels!
Delete