How do you get your subordinates to attend meetings on time?
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Anonymous
OP, do I have this right? The teachers' contract day starts at 8:30. The meeting is once per month. You scheduled the meeting for 8:15 (that was 15 min earlier than their day begins). You re-scheduled it for 8:30 (the moment their day begins). Half of them still don't come. If email would be sufficient for this meeting, why do you need so long for the in-person version your supervisor requires? My solution. Write the email you'd rather send, but print it up as an "agenda." Start at 8:30 (better yet - 8:35 because if arrival time is 8:30, they still need 5 min to walk over to the meeting location). Move through the agenda as quickly as you can, don't belabor the meeting. Latecomers take the printout. |
Anonymous
Here's your solution, though. If folks can't make the 8:30 reliably, you have to hold it at 4:30. People can groan all they want, but they'll still be there at 4:30. |
Anonymous
| Good suggestions PP. This is probably the best she can do in a union-shop, monopoly environment. |
Anonymous
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I would do a combo of the carrot and the stick. I like the idea of the last one in buys donuts for the rest. Also like the idea of putting the food away promptly at the start of the meeting to deny late comers.
Do you have a budget for small incentives? First five people to arrive get a $5 gift card to Starbucks or whatever? People in my office love that. |
Anonymous
PP you'r referring to. Thanks, but I work in a unionized environment, and people manage to show up on time. |
Anonymous
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OP - I'm having a hard time figuring out what YOU want.
- Do you really care if they show up or not? You say in your OP that you are trying to get them to show up, but on the other hand, you're being forced to have this meeting that you actually don't want. - is the information THAT important? You say it's very important information, but obviously the late-comers aren't getting in trouble for not having that information (or they get the information from somewhere else) - you're their boss but you have no authority? if you don't have authority there's really nothing you can do. My advice - hold the meetings if you must. Email/type out the "important / must-know information" and distribute it at or after the meeting. Don't give it a second thought. |
Anonymous
At the next meeting, mention that you require better attendance for 8:30. Otherwise, it will have to turn into a pm meeting. Teachers should be able to meet for 30 min after school. |
Anonymous
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On meeting day, schedule for both 8:30 and 4:30. All teachers required to come to one of them ON TIME. Sign up sheet that is put away at 8:35. If they are not on that sheet, they MUST come that afternoon at 4:30. Same thing. Sign up sheet put away at 4:35. If they are not on either, then they get a warning. Second warning goes on their personnel file as having not attended mandatory meeting required by <superintendant/school board/whoever>.
Only people who are chronically late will have problems attending one or the other. If they are chronically late and they can't find a way once a month to be on time for either one of a before school or an after school meeting, then they should be written up. This sounds like something that is required by the school board or school superintendant and for union negotiations, they need to know that there are employees who are not fulfilling school policy defined requirements (getting those announcements about school policy changes). |
Anonymous
| Write them up. I'm truly not understanding the problem. |
Anonymous
Former teacher here. I guarantee you there are 10,476 unresolved issues at OP's school that should be given higher priority than "writing up" teachers who come late to a monthly meeting that should have been an email. Do you think anyone has time or interest in tracking this? I've seen teachers' personnel files. It just doesn't work that way. In my experience it's the best teachers (meaning: the ones who kick a@# in the classroom, spend their time preparing awesome lessons, make learning fun, up the challenge level and giving students truly helpful feedback) who blow off these requirements the most. |
Anonymous
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I think your real problem here is that this is a BS meeting and everyone knows it, apparently including you. My office used to have these and they were painful and unnecessary. The head of the office got annoyed by some who were blowing it off or showing up late and threw down the gauntlet and made a huge deal of it being absolutely mandatory, which had the effect of increasing resentment and making it harder to get other work meetings and calls scheduled - and ultimately after a time the people who used to blow off the meeting returned to doing so.
If it is at all possible to avoid having the meeting, it is best to do so. If you absolutely must have it, can you make it super short - like 10 minutes? Just cover the most important points in the meeting and then go over everything else in an emaill? |
Anonymous
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All I'm hearing is that you're looking for validation. STOP.
First off 8:30 is outside of what's considered core hours. If you're going to hold a regular meeting (i.e. not special one offs with a client or day long meetings), set it for between 10-3. This guarantees hitting the sweet spot in terms of flexibility for your staff. The longer you hold the notion that your staff owes you something, the worse you'll be as a manager. Start reading up on servant leadership... |
Anonymous
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What industry do some of y'all work in? I have worked in companies that have a meeting at 8 AM every Monday, and it lasts for a half hour or so. It is not a big deal.
Some people really need to grow up and act like adults. |