A reader writes:
I’m usually dependable and conscientious in my job, however generally I’m barely late to meetings. (Shock! Horror!) By barely late, I imply two or three minutes. I work remotely, so these are all digital calls, often with video.
Frequently, at about two minutes after the beginning time, a coworker will ping me to ask, “Are you joining the call?”
This drives me bonkers. Is two minutes actually such an inconvenience? Is it actually sufficient time to recommend I gained’t be becoming a member of? Couldn’t it’s that I’m getting a glass of water or utilizing the restroom?
Recently, I joined a assembly three minutes late, and there have been a number of different individuals who additionally joined a few minutes after me. As I used to be logging in, I caught the assembly host making a snarky comment about why folks had been late. (“What the hell?” was thrown in there.)
I’ve been with this firm for about eight months, and folks are usually fairly immediate however can generally run late when leaping from assembly to assembly. So punctuality is a part of the tradition however not to an excessive diploma.
Any ideas on how to deal with this or what to say when folks make ungenerous feedback?
So … I don’t suppose it’s unreasonable to ping you two minutes after the beginning time to discover out should you’re becoming a member of the assembly or not. It’s a little on the quick finish, however not to the purpose that it is best to take umbrage at it.
Because the factor is, you’ve received different folks assembled and sitting there ready, not understanding if they’ll begin or not. In some instances it’s affordable to simply go forward and begin the assembly as soon as they’ve received a essential mass of individuals there and others can atone for their very own as soon as they be part of … however in different instances, if somebody joins late, it means everybody else can have to backtrack and repeat what’s already been stated.
There are workplaces the place the tradition is that meetings don’t begin till 5 minutes (or much more) after the official begin time, to give everybody time to trickle in. (But generally, though not at all times, that simply means they’re ready 10+ minutes earlier than they begin, as a result of everybody mentally adjusts the time to X:05 of their head, after which provides themselves a number of minutes of grace after that.)
But extra importantly, it looks like your office isn’t a kind of places of work. What your coworkers are telling you when they ping you is that you simply’re late they usually’re ready on you, and this isn’t an workplace that features with that five-minute grace interval — they need you there on time to allow them to begin.
Obviously generally being a little late is unavoidable — you’re in a assembly that runs over and it takes a few minutes to extract your self, or you will have a toilet emergency, or your meetings are packed back-to-back so tightly that being a little late is the one probability you’ll have to seize a espresso/use the toilet/wolf down a sandwich. But should you’re ready to be part of proper after somebody nudges you with a ping, I’m unsure that’s what’s taking place right here!
So the one actual factor to say in response to annoyed feedback is, “I’m sorry to be late” .. adopted by a dedication to be on time if in any respect doable. And in case you have the kind of schedule that makes that unattainable, generally it’s helpful to inform assembly organizers prematurely that you simply’ll be a few minutes late as a result of you will have back-to-back meetings that day (or to inform the earlier assembly that you’ve got a onerous cease so that you might be on time for the subsequent one).
