Highway Sensibilities
There were two incidents that struck me at work in a way that was at both terribly dissimilar and yet definitive in the means by which certain modes of conduct are motivated.I scheduled an internal meeting electronically. No big deal in and of itself. The two invitees accepted the invite. No conference room was required in that said meeting was to take place in my office. The agenda was clear. The time was clear. The date was clear. The brief length of the meeting was clear. Yes sir. It could safely be said that all things were clear. Our electronic calendaring system even has a reminder that flashes on your computer screen reminding the invitees that they agreed to go to a meeting at such and such a time at such and such a place for so long about the topic at hand.
So the agreed upon time came and went.
It might make a small difference to note that in the not terribly distant past, meetings I have scheduled have either been poorly attended or attended not at all.
Such was the case at hand.
I called my two esteemed invitees at issue. And provided both with the following:
“You accepted the invitation to the meeting. Where are you?” I was none too pleased and made no attempt to hide it. This somewhat surly invective was answered with, more or less, the following:
“Oh. Our priorities changed and we have to do this other thing. Could you reschedule this?”
My response was the same to both. I grunted, hung up and sent a rescheduled meeting for the next day.
It was, and remains, my feeling that I was treated discourteously, unprofessionally and this is not the sort of conduct that should be professionally condoned.
And so I fired off the following missive to our Office Manager:
My Dear Office Manger,
I have a bone to pick and I realize I’m probably just venting.
Let’s just assume that a meeting has been scheduled and the agenda, time and place for that meeting is clear and the invitees have accepted. Now let us assume that the invitees just decide not to show up.
There are always very good legitimate reasons for this sort of thing, be they oversight, overbooking, last minute emergencies, reorganized priorities, absences, etc. But it would seem to this overly sensitive soul that the very least of common courtesy would dictate that the invitees should advise that meeting’s organizer that they will not be attending.
This is happening on a more frequent basis, and I don’t feel like rolling over on this any longer.
Should we discuss?
She was genuinely concerned and came over to my office to receive my gentle yet firm harangue. She was very calm, sensitive and understanding. And although there was a tiny bit of hope that she would broadcast an office message to all indicating that ‘if you become aware that you will not attend a meeting to which you’ve accepted an invitation, have the courtesy to advise that you will not be attending’, this was not going to happen. But she listened attentively and was receptive to my vitriol and rant. During this rant I indicated that on the highways, people behave in inconsiderate, rude and dangerous ways. That is the norm and so be it. But in the office filled with intelligent, friendly professionals, it is expected that we behave in a manner above that of the common yahoo.
Along the same lines, our office has a Friday morning tradition of providing bags and bags of fresh bagels. It’s well appreciated by all … I think … I hope. Our office also has a two-bagel toaster in our kitchen. I am one of those who prefers a toasted bagel. There are a few others who are of the same persuasion. As a toaster slot becomes available, I drop my sliced bagel in the appropriate receptacle and wait patiently for my toasted treat to noisily appear above the toaster’s brushed aluminum housing. However, there are those, who, without giving it two and a half thoughts, think nothing of stopping my process, dropping there’s in, restarting the thing (thereby subjecting my bagel to a double dose of rontgen measurements) and popping there’s when they feel the time is right for them.
A minor issue. Granted. And there are those of you out there who would correctly suggest that I gently request the offending party that they may consider just holding off a short while until my cycle is complete before the commence with theirs.
In my mind the issues of inconsiderate bagel toaster hogs and those who do not show at meetings to they’ve accepted invitations are identical. In both instances they are the product of selfish inconsiderate minds who either can not or will not take into consideration the consequences of which their respective action or inaction may have on others.
As I write this, I throw both hands in the air. I reschedules, as requested. And again, the both of them didn’t show without word of explanation.
posted by Marty Brounstein @ 1:50 PM
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