Meetings at 8am — how common

[Anonymous]

I am not a fan of them but I take the hit when I can and decline when I cant.

[Anonymous]

If they’re not standing meetings and appear on your calendar, I would start blocking the time and then responding that it doesn’t work a few times. If they’re standing and you’ve been accepting, you’re going to have to talk about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A middle schooler can be dropped off somewhere in walking distance, and get themselves to school. No need to pay for before care.

Where did I say I had a middle schooler? It’s a kinder!

So, you want the company to pay for you to "work" but you will be fixing breakfast and getting your 5 year old on a bus?

Yeah, you'd be so fired if you work for me.

I’m salaried. I don’t work hourly. My core hours are 10-3.

You are a peach.

If it's established that you work 10-3, can't you just decline an 8 AM? I work with lots of flexible work arrangement salaried folks who list their hours in their signatures, and they've negotiated that limited schedule. That is, they've told the company they're only going to work X hours, and took the requisite pay cut to account for that. Plenty of companies are perfectly willing to accommodate limited schedules as long as the understanding is clear so your pay is appropriate to the number of hours you actually plan to work. On the other hand, if you haven't negotiated that, it is not out of bounds for the company to expect you to be available when they say.

Are you not familiar with core hours? I don’t just work 10-3, but those are the required hours; we can work our hours around that. I’m sure I can squall about 8am not working but wanted to know if I was unreasonable

Ok. You are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to work with the DoD. 8 am meetings were normal, and you were expected to show up before 8 am (or call in a few min early) for them to do roll call and start the meeting promptly at 8.

Now in non-profit sector and anything before 9 would be unusual, but conferences and breakfast meetings all start at 8 or 8:30.

Pay for childcare, mostly schools do drop-in care, you don’t need to pay for the whole month to just use a few days.

I really think those of you who dont have younger kids in the system right now or who have copious amounts of money to throw at the problem do not realize the issues with childcare, including before care and after care. There are not a lot of options, many of them are booked before the school year starts so K students get f^cked because you cant enroll in aftercare until you are on the school registrar and that doesnt happen until summer but the before/after care situation gets handled in spring. And many private businesses that provides these services dont allow for daily drop-in, they require weekly payment no matter how many days you use in the week.

Childcare post-COVID is a completely different landscape. I had a child in 2018 and had no issues finding spots. Cost was steep but do-able. I am pregnant with our 2nd due in 2024 and it is a madhouse. Childcare costs have increased minimum 600/mo for the same age. Spots, especially infant spots, are difficult to find. 2-5 seems to be the sweet spot for options and costs. Infant care and elementary-age care are difficult.

I am totally fine with an 8am meeting but dont then turn around and make regular 4/430pm meetings either. You cant burn at both ends and while this board skews higher-income many of your co-workers in other positions are not. If you have later meetings, dont have early ones and vice versa.

I have young kids, I use childcare (daycare and now before/aftercare as my youngest is finishing K). Infant spots in our neighborhood were always hard to find, and my oldest was born in the early 2010s. I had to get a nanny until a spot opened up when DC was 8 months. I signed up my other kids for spots when I was 3 months pregnant.

Childcare is much easier in elementary years. Our local public regularly gets filled for aftercare but not beforecare. It’s actually quite affordable compared to what daycare cost.

Most families I know don’t use care before school which I think is insane because schools starts at 9:05. Maybe with a bus (pickup in my neighborhood is 8:40) and working from home I can make 9-5 work, but my oldest was in school pre-pandemic and I was shocked by how empty morning care was. Who are all these parents who don’t start work until 10? I am assuming they are staggering hours with the other parent so they can work later.

[Anonymous]

I work 7-4. 8am seems like mid-day to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work 7-4. 8am seems like mid-day to me.

Same. I get to work at 6 and I teach my first class at 7:45. I’ve been active for 3 hours by 8am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for DOD and early schedules are common with all the ex-military folks around. Even then, 8am meetings are the exception. Most are scheduled between 9am and 3pm.

I work for DOD and 8am meetings happen sometimes, 8:30 even more frequently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work 7-4. 8am seems like mid-day to me.

So you are cool with a 430 pm meeting?

[Anonymous]

I work in government relations so have grown used to meal events, receptions, etc. Lately I've noticed an increase in basic briefings/meetings happening between 5-8 p.m. hosted by associations which is just wild to me. It's like we stopped even trying to strive for work life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they’re not standing meetings and appear on your calendar, I would start blocking the time and then responding that it doesn’t work a few times. If they’re standing and you’ve been accepting, you’re going to have to talk about it.

if you do that and if these are meetings with senior leaders, just be prepared to take the career hit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in government relations so have grown used to meal events, receptions, etc. Lately I've noticed an increase in basic briefings/meetings happening between 5-8 p.m. hosted by associations which is just wild to me. It's like we stopped even trying to strive for work life balance.

Work life balance is a sham. The guy cutting out at 5 for dinner with his family is not going to make enough to afford that dinner, so his wife will also be working — so no dinner at all.

The 50s division of a breadwinner and homemaker works best, and corporate America has doubled down on that. Genders are flexible, but being a SAHD is still considered a sad sack unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Never. 930 is the earliest meeting in my field (law firm staff side).

[Anonymous]

Can you speak up? Say thise are hard for you? Maybe others would be flexible.

[Anonymous]

I work for an international company and we routinely start meetings at 7:30, sometimes before. I would love if our meetings didn’t start until 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for an international company and we routinely start meetings at 7:30, sometimes before. I would love if our meetings didn’t start until 8.

Yeah, I'm also in an international company and have 8 ams almost every day, though I can take them from home. I really hate it but no choice... I usually decline anything before 8 unless my presence is really necessary. Have had some meetings at 7 and even one at 6:30. I'm basically a grouchy shell of myself afterwards lol.

To the people starting their days at 6 am... good for you, I guess? This is my first job with 8 ams and I do struggle.