Checking Texts in Meetings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We bring laptops and phones to meetings. Everyone is texting and doing other work.

That makes me think that either a) your organization has too many meetings and/or b) many meeting attendees are unnecessary. It would seem that it would be better to fix that problem than to have people trying to do two different things (badly) at the same time in meetings.

Sure. But if I just work there and don’t make these kinds of decisions then here we are. Yes, where I work has serious meeting culture problem. If you didn’t do work during your meetings you wouldn’t get anything done.

Same. Also, it would be miserable to work with people who (can) only do one thing at a time. Many of us do many, well and efficiently. If we are all in a meeting, there are electric real-time tracking of to-do lists. Looking up docs AND answering questions in real time. Scheduling another or breakout meeting while we are all talking to include the right people and agenda. This are simple examples. I can also fix and test code and run some data examples during meetings to get decisions on the spot. I would be miserable in a place where everything was sequential.

But that's a huge sidetrack to say WTF- the guy can look at his phone in the meeting and the manager is completely in the wrong and will be looking for a new worker soon if he's trying that on.

[Anonymous]

I’m a millennial and it’s 100% okay and I do it and I expect others to do it too. It’s called multitasking. Sorry boomers you can’t deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good for your coworker for standing his ground

100%

100% we are all adults

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My program's top guy (Assistant Secretary of a mid-size Fed agency) would call you out during meetings (not openly). If he sees someone checking phone during meetings/Teams, you will hear from him (via one of his assistants) within 5 min.

And then he wonders why there are not enough people to fill the slots. And if it's during Teams, what does he care? half of us are doing other things during Teams calls - i.e. doing actual work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My program's top guy (Assistant Secretary of a mid-size Fed agency) would call you out during meetings (not openly). If he sees someone checking phone during meetings/Teams, you will hear from him (via one of his assistants) within 5 min.

I am SO grateful I don’t work under someone like this. I bet he has someone who handles things like that (EA, spouse, whatever).

People should be allowed to glance at their phone for something around their kids safety?! How is anyone defending the manager in the OP?!

[Anonymous]

Oh God. It was probably a boring meeting anyway. And just because I’m not checking messages doesn’t mean I’m paying attention to you anyway. And that meeting probably could have been an email.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't call someone out publicly in a meeting like that. But I would say something to them afterwards.

Texting, and perhaps even worse, scrolling while in a meeting is very rude. I work with people who scroll all the way through trainings at my job and I try to not sit near them as I find the constant movement of of their hand distracting. It isn't just about the person who is checking the phone missing what is going on, it can effect other people.

That said, if you have a serious situation and need to check your phone and return a text, fine, everyone can understand that. But that isn't what most people are doing on their phone (not at my work anyway -- it's all doom scrolling).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s an emergency, wouldn’t they call?

Seems like something that could have been avoided.

People under 35 don’t call. For anything.

Yeah, I can imagine texts from my teens that said things like "Mom, I got into a car accident and I'm standing by the side of the road and don't know what to do." Or "mom my flight got cancelled can you rebook me im at the airport and dont know what to do". or 'mom i lost my wallet can you okay apple pay on my phone becuse i am stuck right now". They would not call for any of those.

I have received texts during meetings that say "mom there is an active shooter in my school and we are in lockdown do you know anything about whats happening". More than once actually!

Uh huh. Right.

:roll:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My program's top guy (Assistant Secretary of a mid-size Fed agency) would call you out during meetings (not openly). If he sees someone checking phone during meetings/Teams, you will hear from him (via one of his assistants) within 5 min.

I am SO grateful I don’t work under someone like this. I bet he has someone who handles things like that (EA, spouse, whatever).

People should be allowed to glance at their phone for something around their kids safety?! How is anyone defending the manager in the OP?!

I wish I did work for someone like this. Checking a phone during a meeting is unprofessional, and I hate it when people do it -- allowing it contributes to an unprofessional work environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't call someone out publicly in a meeting like that. But I would say something to them afterwards.

Texting, and perhaps even worse, scrolling while in a meeting is very rude. I work with people who scroll all the way through trainings at my job and I try to not sit near them as I find the constant movement of of their hand distracting. It isn't just about the person who is checking the phone missing what is going on, it can effect other people.

That said, if you have a serious situation and need to check your phone and return a text, fine, everyone can understand that. But that isn't what most people are doing on their phone (not at my work anyway -- it's all doom scrolling).

You don't even know the difference between effect and affect, so you can shut it. Other people are far more intelligent than you, and can multi-task.

[Anonymous]

Other people are far more intelligent than you, and can multi-task.

The issue is not your ability to multi-task, but rather that it is disrespectful not to give your full attention to whomever is speaking at a meeting. It indicates that whatever is being said is boring, of no importance, or both. Which might be true, but the solution to that is to fix the content (or eliminate the meeting or invite fewer people to it), rather than for attendees to try to do other tasks in the middle of said meeting.

[Anonymous]

My company we do not allow cell phone use at all during formal meetings. Personal or business. But we have very little meetings. Maybe 60 minutes a week and all CE0level type meetings.

Why do you need more than 1-2 hours a week of meetings? That should be real question

[Anonymous]

I would let the text sit. If you get a chance to peek and no one is bleeding or on fire.. or missing their flight, then leave it.

Just because a DD wants to let you know they got to the gate, they’re fine. Let the kid travel. If they’re independent enough to travel, let them do it without text handholding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would let the text sit. If you get a chance to peek and no one is bleeding or on fire.. or missing their flight, then leave it.

Just because a DD wants to let you know they got to the gate, they’re fine. Let the kid travel. If they’re independent enough to travel, let them do it without text handholding.

“In a meeting” and Done. Kid who’s old enough to travel should know to wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just out of a meeting with visiting managers from NYC. A colleague of mine was 'scolded' by our manager for looking at a text. Visiting managers said nothing. Guy who checked his phone didn't apologize and actually said- 'yeah, my kid is traveling today so I'll continue to check texts from her'.

It was definitely an 'eff you' to the guy who called him out. The whole thing was awkward, and I don't think anything should have been said to begin with

Thoughts?

Manager was trying to show off by scolding colleague and it backfired.

It was stupid to call it out, especially by scolding. I have never been to a meeting that required 100% attention every moment. Usually there is a fair amount of people talking to hear themselves talk.

In any event, if the manager had come at it less aggressively ("Carl, I noticed you checking texts in the meeting. Is something going on?") he could have gotten his point across that he didn't appreciate it without looking like an a$$ and your colleague probably would have responded less aggressively as well ("Yes, sorry, my kid is traveling solo today so I'm monitoring to make sure there are no emergencies"). Assuming that you colleague usually does good work, there is no reason to scold him like a child.