Jobs

Being stood up by colleagues for standing meetings is so frustrating to me. How can I politely let them know how inconsiderate this is and ask them to communicate with me when they can’t make our online meetings?

Elaine Varelas provides suggestions on how to manage your calendar to ensure you are respectful of your colleagues’ time and don’t miss meetings.

Q. I really need a vacation because I keep getting aggravated. I have a lot of standing meetings each week. If people are going to be out for whatever reason, is it for them to cancel so I’m not waiting on Zoom calls, or am I supposed to be aware of everyone’s schedule? Why can’t people clear their schedules and notify colleagues when they plan to be off? It’s very frustrating and inconsiderate.

A. Yes, it sounds like you do need a vacation. Of course, there are times when employees can excuse their colleague’s inability to plan for being out or forgetting about a Zoom meeting. However, the offense of wasting your colleague’s time waiting on a call, especially if its senior executives' time, is not in your best long-term career interests. Recognize that everyone needs to take time off from work, and your goal should be to ensure that the organization is not inconvenienced by your time off. Knowing what you are committed to is the least you can do as an employee.

At the beginning of each week and each day review your calendar for upcoming meetings. If you will be away from your computer where you will receive reminders, also add them to your phone calendar so you won’t risk missing a work meeting. If you plan to be out of the office and unavailable for meetings, cancel all standing meetings with a note explaining that you will be out of the office and that you'll reschedule, or the schedule will continue with the following meeting.

If you have work that is time sensitive and due the week you're out or the following week, ensure that those duties or projects are either completed early, covered by a colleague, or talk to the recipients of that work to discuss the status and agree on a new due date. This way people understand that you are responsible and accountable for the duties you have. You are also minimizing the need for colleagues to disturb you during your time off.

Building collegial relationships while being considerate of other people's time will give you credit for the times you forget to do any of those things. People will be much more understanding if you happen to forget about a meeting, recognizing that your normal mode of behavior is to be considerate. These examples are good for regular vacations, medical leaves, parental leaves, etc. Everyone should recognize that there are situations that are beyond people’s control that may cause them to miss a meeting, but these are the exception, not the norm. Being respectful of other people’s time in the workplace is essential for fostering a positive and productive work environment and building effective working relationships.
            Boston.com

By Elaine Varelas

Less than a minute to read

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile