Salaried Employee - 8am Meeting - Personal Conflicts like working out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wildly unpopular opinion : I miss the days when people would send an email asking when I was available for a meeting. I hate the idea of "blocking my calendar" and "putting something on someone's calendar" as if any unbooked time means I am free to meet. I might have a big project due the next day or be thinking of playing hooky this afternoon. And I definitely think it's ridiculous to have to block times outside of 9 to 5.

I usually look at calendars and then send out an email saying it looks like x date is good, if so I'll send out the invite. If not please suggest time.

This is a bunch of extra steps. I find a time that works for most in Outlook (specifically the most critical people) and in the meeting invite I say "let me know if this time works or if another is better." No one else wants to deal with the nightmare of sorting through calendars, so most of the time it sticks, or else someone asks to move it and we find another time. No need for a bunch of back and forth emails (while, in the meantime, people's calendars are shifting and filling with other meetings).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they send the invite after 5, I won't even see it until 9AM.

Doesn’t your work email beep? It is drilled into me every night check work email for meetings. I also check it in morning.

My one job we had nearly all meetings between 730 am and 930 am or lunch time or after 430 pm.

We blocked 930 am to noon and 2pm to 430 pm as core work hours. Meetings were at non core work hours

That's... not how core hours work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they send the invite after 5, I won't even see it until 9AM.

Doesn’t your work email beep? It is drilled into me every night check work email for meetings. I also check it in morning.

My one job we had nearly all meetings between 730 am and 930 am or lunch time or after 430 pm.

We blocked 930 am to noon and 2pm to 430 pm as core work hours. Meetings were at non core work hours

That's... not how core hours work.

I think that was J1 J2 J3 guy. He always says "My one job..."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they send the invite after 5, I won't even see it until 9AM.

Doesn’t your work email beep? It is drilled into me every night check work email for meetings. I also check it in morning.

My one job we had nearly all meetings between 730 am and 930 am or lunch time or after 430 pm.

We blocked 930 am to noon and 2pm to 430 pm as core work hours. Meetings were at non core work hours

That's... not how core hours work.

It’s called Focus time. Yes that’s how some places operate. Three jobs ago they had a quick morning standup Scrum daily at 8 am and a second one at 5 pm. Go over blockers etc.

And my start up job amazing how many people on line Sunday from 8 pm to 11pm jump starting week.

My current job our monthly big meeting we go over all important work takes place at 7 pm to 830 pm. We get dinner and we get together. Out quarterly all hands is breakfast before work.

How is that unusual?

[Anonymous]

I think even 9am meetings are intrusive and you need to check with folks. 9:30 is ok. 10am is preferred. Anything after 4pm - also gotta check with folks. 8am is ridiculous unless it’s a one on one meeting where this is the only time you are available to meet and both parties agree to it in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gen X person who generally goes "above and beyond" (in the negative sense of historically not making waves and in my 20s would have been there at 7 if someone told me to).

I think: the calendar should have been blocked for a personal commitment in advance. Following that, "personal appointment" should have been the stated reason. All else ok

So even though typical work day is 9-5, you’re supposed to block out your hours outside of your work day as personal time? That actually seems counterintuitive — do I need to mark every day at 6pm for family dinner and 10pm for bedtime?

Yes. Its not hard. Outlook has a feature where you add your workday start and end time and it blocks out all non-work hours.

The bigger issue in many workplaces (including my husband’s very toxic former workplace) when people don’t GAF about your calendar block-outs and arrange meetings for whatever time works for them.

[Anonymous]

No problem with scheduling 8am meetings or having an 8am meeting scheduled. I also don’t care if it needs to be rescheduled because I, or someone else, can’t make it. Also happy to have the meeting without all invited and happy to miss it and let others proceed.

I would not share my conflict is the gym and I’d expect no one else to share that either. Just say you aren’t available.

[Anonymous]

I am a partner in big law, and have probably 3-8 client calls a day, so I feel like that gives insight into multiple different workplaces - because I see what times people are suggesting calls.

The vast majority of calls are scheduled no earlier than 9:30et and no later than ending by 5pm et. My clients in central time often suggest 9am et (8am central) - I wonder if they get up super early in the Midwest to adjust for eastern time? No one would ever apologize for a call at 9am or a call before 6pm. But anything before 9 or after 6 is only happening because it’s urgent and we literally can’t find any other time to speak, and then everyone is profusely apologetic about cutting into peoples personal time.

So when I hear about regular 8am calls, that seems very unusual compared with the hundred of clients I have worked with.

That said, dh used to have a standing 8:30am Monday call which was to accommodate their global team. It sucked and when he became boss he did away with it.

[Anonymous]

I had a hellish new boss who hated us all. First thing she did was to have a daily standing meeting at 8am. It was in person in her office conference room. Ugh. I took a bus to the metro and then I walked half a mile. It wasn’t easy to make it in at 8 (metro was never on time) and it basically meant I left the house 15 min early and got to work early most days. But did she let me leave 15 min early? Of course not. It was just a way to ruin our schedules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a partner in big law, and have probably 3-8 client calls a day, so I feel like that gives insight into multiple different workplaces - because I see what times people are suggesting calls.

The vast majority of calls are scheduled no earlier than 9:30et and no later than ending by 5pm et. My clients in central time often suggest 9am et (8am central) - I wonder if they get up super early in the Midwest to adjust for eastern time? No one would ever apologize for a call at 9am or a call before 6pm. But anything before 9 or after 6 is only happening because it’s urgent and we literally can’t find any other time to speak, and then everyone is profusely apologetic about cutting into peoples personal time.

So when I hear about regular 8am calls, that seems very unusual compared with the hundred of clients I have worked with.

That said, dh used to have a standing 8:30am Monday call which was to accommodate their global team. It sucked and when he became boss he did away with it. [/quote

Last night I caught on on my emails on my coach at 11pm in pajamas watching Netflix.

And in remote you are home 24/7 time has no meaning. A 7am or 10 pm call or meeting who cares. I am in a hoodie handing out. gives me more time off during day.

The working mom in San Fran I worked with her schedule was always 4-6 am her time. Back on line 730 am her time, off line 230 pm her time back on one 9 pm her time. She only worked 8 hours but was there her kids to make breakfast get to school. Make snack after school and dinner. Why force people on to meetings at certain times?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a partner in big law, and have probably 3-8 client calls a day, so I feel like that gives insight into multiple different workplaces - because I see what times people are suggesting calls.

The vast majority of calls are scheduled no earlier than 9:30et and no later than ending by 5pm et. My clients in central time often suggest 9am et (8am central) - I wonder if they get up super early in the Midwest to adjust for eastern time? No one would ever apologize for a call at 9am or a call before 6pm. But anything before 9 or after 6 is only happening because it’s urgent and we literally can’t find any other time to speak, and then everyone is profusely apologetic about cutting into peoples personal time.

So when I hear about regular 8am calls, that seems very unusual compared with the hundred of clients I have worked with.

That said, dh used to have a standing 8:30am Monday call which was to accommodate their global team. It sucked and when he became boss he did away with it.

In the Midwest here and I would laugh at your face if you suggested a call after 5pm

[Anonymous]

I’m curious what industries people are in that they have, say, daily 8am in person calls. In a typical white collar office job, this isn’t going to work with anyone with kids, because they have to do drop off. Obviously some industries - like healthcare - start earlier in the day, and that’s just part of the deal when you go down that career path. But I’m curious what other workplaces are requiring this. Are these industries where those hours are common? Or do you work in a typical office, and your new boss was just an ass who scheduled weird times meetings?

[Anonymous]

The more people with busy calendars in the meeting, the more flexible I am with meeting times. If it is me and 1-2 other people with normal calendars, I would not want to change my personal schedule for a meeting. Some meetings are near-impossible to schedule, and I will move a workout or ask my spouse to cover pick up in those cases.

My current office doesn't fully use shared calendars (some do, some don't), and we frequently work with external groups. The whole "what time works for this call?" emails are super annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious what industries people are in that they have, say, daily 8am in person calls. In a typical white collar office job, this isn’t going to work with anyone with kids, because they have to do drop off. Obviously some industries - like healthcare - start earlier in the day, and that’s just part of the deal when you go down that career path. But I’m curious what other workplaces are requiring this. Are these industries where those hours are common? Or do you work in a typical office, and your new boss was just an ass who scheduled weird times meetings?

I'm not currently in it, but years ago I worked in construction (administration, not physical labor.) We were expected at work at 7 am (the more senior people were actually there earlier) and 7:30 am meetings (in person) were common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious what industries people are in that they have, say, daily 8am in person calls. In a typical white collar office job, this isn’t going to work with anyone with kids, because they have to do drop off. Obviously some industries - like healthcare - start earlier in the day, and that’s just part of the deal when you go down that career path. But I’m curious what other workplaces are requiring this. Are these industries where those hours are common? Or do you work in a typical office, and your new boss was just an ass who scheduled weird times meetings?

I'm not currently in it, but years ago I worked in construction (administration, not physical labor.) We were expected at work at 7 am (the more senior people were actually there earlier) and 7:30 am meetings (in person) were common.

But presumably you wrapped up by 3:30 or whatever, right? Some of the early jobs i can think of: healthcare, construction, teaching, IT. Of course there would be calls at 8am in those industries, because the day ends earlier as well.