How do you get your subordinates to attend meetings on time?

[Anonymous]

I would never do an 8:30 meeting. Make it 9:30 or 10.

[Anonymous]

Stop using words like "subordinate."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they actually strolling in then or like you would an extra 15 minutes be helpful to them. Take a poll and see if 8:45 would work then make it mandatory to be there at 8:45.

I wish I could do this, but they are all teachers and have to be in their classrooms by 9:00 to start the day. When I brought up the aftrnoon meeting, there were a lot of moans and groans in the room. I get that I can't make everyone happy. I still have to hold this meeting.

Ok the more info is important. What are you presenting and is it mandatory that they receive it? What time do they normally arrive?

I don't think a meeting once a month at 8:30 is extreme so I am wondering what is making them late. True inability to arrive by 8:30 or lack of interest in the meeting?

f

It is very important info...mostly procedure and policy changes. I really think they are late because they can get away with it. Like I said, I don't have that much power. I am trying to come up with something positive and trying to stay away from punitive....only to be used as a last resort.

Have any of them been adversely affected by not getting the info you offer from 8:30-8:45? If not, then your medium is unimportant and you should switch to written communication. If you are literally informing/pushing information, just take the time to write it down and be done with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don't think the meetings are important. Most of it probably can be accomplished by email. Read between the lines here.

I am required by my supervisor to have a meeting. If I could do e-mail I would.

This is your problem. Everyone realizes this information could be just as easily conveyed via email so they don't prioritize being there.

Do you have to have a 30 min meeting? Could you not email folks the complete details in a memo in advance and then just meet in person to follow up quickly / answer any question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don't think the meetings are important. Most of it probably can be accomplished by email. Read between the lines here.

I am required by my supervisor to have a meeting. If I could do e-mail I would.

Grow up and tell your supervisor that your job as a 'supervisor' is to do what works for your team. His/her job is is to let you determine how best to present the information. If they want the meeting, have them roll in there at 8:30 and deal with it. I hate those that don't empower nor take on their own management power.

[Anonymous]

Food. Nothing gets staff into a meeting at my school than the promise of snacks.

[Anonymous]

I work in healthcare where 7am meetings are common. 8:30 is a luxury.

[Anonymous]

Get your supervisor's support in this. Supervisor can email all to say the meetings are mandatory. Get him/her to attend these monthly
meetings, he/she should kick off the meeting with opening remarks and turn it over to you, supervisor will see all the people who are late. Latecomers will eventually get the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get your supervisor's support in this. Supervisor can email all to say the meetings are mandatory. Get him/her to attend these monthly
meetings, he/she should kick off the meeting with opening remarks and turn it over to you, supervisor will see all the people who are late. Latecomers will eventually get the point.

oboy do you work for the government? The person with the idea of standing up to the supervisor had the better idea. This one is red tape and tattletaling and even more wasted time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they actually strolling in then or like you would an extra 15 minutes be helpful to them. Take a poll and see if 8:45 would work then make it mandatory to be there at 8:45.

I wish I could do this, but they are all teachers and have to be in their classrooms by 9:00 to start the day. When I brought up the aftrnoon meeting, there were a lot of moans and groans in the room. I get that I can't make everyone happy. I still have to hold this meeting.

By moving the meeting to make your childcare more doable, you sent the message that kid issues are a valid reason to be late. To add to this, you said you have no power, only responsibility. So, the only thing you can do if change the time. Honestly, I would move the meeting to the afternoon and see if the group pressure results in your staff getting the offenders to be on time.

[Anonymous]

If half of your staff of 30 isn't showing up, it's not them, it's you. Your meetings are boring and/or unimportant. Talk to someone who is willing to review your past meetings to figure out what is the REALLY IMPORTANT, absolutely essential information that needs to announced. Also, are there only a few data points that need to be addressed to a few people? Does everyone need to be present for all the announcements? How about breaking down the announcements to smaller, targeted groups?

Frankly, if your org has been functioning this fine with only half of them attending your meetings, then the reality is that the information that you think is important probably isn't.

[Anonymous]

If you don't really want to have the meeting but your supervisors is making you, then don't worry about attendance. Just hold the meeting, whoever is there is there, and you send an email with the info after the meeting. This sounds like it's just a check the box thing so, check the box.

[Anonymous]

Good Lord. This meeting time is obviously not working for a significant percentage of your staff. Move it back to 9 AM, or schedule an 11:30 a.m. Monthly meeting and serve lunch. You obviously do not have to do this, as you are the manager. But if you do it, I guarantee it will generate Goodwill among your staff. Goodwill pays off of over time. I have seen this as a manager in my long career, and it has served me well.

[Anonymous]

Because the meeting is held on a recurring basis, rather than because you received important information to share, it suggests the meeting isn't necessary.

Why not send the "important" information in an email? Or schedule meetings after you have something to tell people?

[Anonymous]

PP here. I missed the post about this being a before-school meeting. I agree with those who suggest you offer a morning session, and an after-school session. Require sign-in at the start of the meeting and then pull the list shortly after it begins. Keep track of those who do not attend and write them up in whatever way is customary. By offering two meeting options, you are doing your part to be a flexible, understanding manager. Your staff will then have no excuse not to attend one meeting session or the other.