Started By
Message
locked post

Inefficient Company Meetings Rant

Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:08 am
Posted by WhiskeyThrottle
Weatherford Tx
Member since Nov 2017
6964 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:08 am
I'm a part of a two man software dev team supporting problematic infrastructure. We constantly get asked to be on meetings where we have no clue what they're going to throw at us. It would be nice if we got a list of questions BEFORE we got on the call so that we could be prepared but people are too lazy to get a list of the questions, so we get on a call and waste 30 minutes looking through code for the answers. We could likely answer questions without a meeting, but I guess this is just acceptable corporate waste?

/Rant.

What other things drive you insane in meetings?
Posted by Alyosha
Member since Nov 2020
9915 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:10 am to
Lots of discussion and nodding of heads with no clear action points. Then everyone forgets when it’s time to execute.
Posted by Mo Jeaux
Member since Aug 2008
62499 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:10 am to
There's no shame in telling them that you have to look into something before you can provide a detailed response or solution.

I do hate these types of things though. I refer to them as "ambush calls/meetings". It's a pretty common corporate America thing.
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
34139 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:10 am to
quote:

What other things drive you insane in meetings?


Their existence?
Posted by Ingeniero
Baton Rouge
Member since Dec 2013
22137 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:12 am to
Inefficient company meetings is probably top 3 reasons boomers love the "back to the office" culture. Instead of sending an email and letting someone work through it from their home office, they want everyone sitting around a table, conference call in the consultant, and waste everyone's time for an hour or two
This post was edited on 6/3/24 at 9:13 am
Posted by kywildcatfanone
Wildcat Country!
Member since Oct 2012
136281 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:13 am to
Every company meeting is inefficient
Posted by Costanza
Member since May 2011
3264 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:15 am to
One of the biggest obstacles to getting work done is all of the meetings scheduled to discuss all of the work that needs to get done.
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
76373 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:16 am to
I hate having a thousand people on a meeting call. Most meetings should be 8 people at most, and either film it or have two people doing notes.

Video should be on. If you don't have time for the meeting, then don't attend, and we all know if you're not on video you're double tasking.

If it can be a goddamn email, make it a goddamn email.

Last, you're not "giving me back time", you planned the timing poorly.
Posted by NASA_ISS_Tiger
Huntsville, Al via Sulphur, LA
Member since Sep 2005
8211 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:16 am to
I'd just tell them "I'll take an action to look into that item". Get a list of action items and get assigned due dates. Work on them first in, first out. After a while they'll start pre-coordinating the meetings better and put out an agenda. You'll still get the odd left field request, but they'll get the hint you need lead time to prepare. I have no problem telling a meeting coordinator I'll take an action for that. 2 week lead time is usually my standard answer for anything. If I get it done sooner, then I do. Otherwise I'll close it in 2 weeks or the next meeting...whichever comes last.
Posted by Spelt it rong
Louisiana
Member since Oct 2012
10763 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:19 am to
quote:

I hate having a thousand people on a meeting call. Most meetings should be 8 people at most, and either film it or have two people doing notes.

Video should be on. If you don't have time for the meeting, then don't attend, and we all know if you're not on video you're double tasking. disagree here

If it can be a goddamn email, make it a goddamn email.

Last, you're not "giving me back time", you planned the timing poorly. you're gonna make me cum
Posted by AtticusOSullivan
Member since Mar 2016
2901 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:19 am to
Posted by baldona
Florida
Member since Feb 2016
23432 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:20 am to
quote:

Inefficient company meetings is probably top 3 reasons boomers love the "back to the office" culture. Instead of sending an email and letting someone work through it from their home office, they want everyone sitting around a table, conference call in the consultant, and waste everyone's time for an hour or two


If you have a group larger than 3-5 I agree.

But at the same time, not everything is easily conveyed in an email and not everyone jumps on top of something with an email.

Meetings can be horribly inefficient, but having 25 people read an email 10 different ways and no one understand the purpose can also be innefficient.

I’m not a boomer, but I do like to meet in small groups of 3-4 people to get on the same page during projects and make sure roles are clearly understood.
Posted by TexasTiger89
Houston, TX
Member since Feb 2005
26459 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:20 am to
quote:

Inefficient company meetings is probably top 3 reasons boomers love the "back to the office" culture.


Wrong
Posted by BeerMoney
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2012
8799 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:21 am to
It drives me crazy when software engineers don’t ask questions before the meeting so they can be better prepared. As a consumer, often I don’t know what to ask.
Posted by SidetrackSilvera
Member since Nov 2012
2690 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:21 am to
quote:

supporting problematic infrastructure


Stop talking like this.

Also, stop using sports and war analogies.

The amount of bullshite will begin to decrease.
Posted by chrome_daddy
LA (Lower Ashvegas)
Member since May 2004
2477 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:22 am to
List from this "boomer" who's retiring after this week:
- No agenda
- No agenda then screwing around shooting the shite for an extra 30 mins bc you didn't have an agenda
- People being late. And it's always the same ones. And everyone knows they are slackers or prima donnas.
- Not providing a meeting recap with action items.
- As stated, having meetings for the sake of having meetings vs resolving a simple issue via messaging. "Oh let's pull up and discuss".

There will be a number of people that will be glad I'm gone as I have no issue providing feedback on the above. Not on my watch.

Posted by Supermoto Tiger
Baton Rouge
Member since Dec 2010
10485 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:32 am to
quote:

We constantly get asked to be on meetings where we have no clue what they're going to throw at us.

As I was pursuing my marketing degree, one of the first things we were taught:

ALWAYS before you step into any meeting, you should know everything to be discussed in that meeting.
Posted by blueridgeTiger
Granbury, TX
Member since Jun 2004
22059 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:34 am to
In my corporate experience, most meetings were for the purpose of assigning blame.
Posted by OlGrandad
Member since Oct 2009
4359 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:34 am to
Posted by deltaland
Member since Mar 2011
100688 posts
Posted on 6/3/24 at 9:35 am to
We are gonna have to circle back to this discussion but you seem to be lacking synergy
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 4Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram