Work colleagues

[DA Baracus]

3 minutes ago, strichener said:

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency who suffered a ransomware attack and had their "mundane Word documents or crushingly dull Excel files" stolen and then published on the dark web when they wouldn't pay the ransom.  These documents contained personal data of current and former employees.

Ok. Am I supposed to feel bad about this?

[strichener]

Just now, DA Baracus said:

Ok. Am I supposed to feel bad about this?

That you didn't know who SEPA are?  Not at all.

If you are referring to their data being released then you should hope it doesn't happen with your employer although it would appear that their information security training is either really deficient or your are completely ignorant regarding the criminal value of the data that flows through an e-mail system.

 

[thistledo]

1 hour ago, TheScarf said:

You don't work for a council by any chance?  

The lunchtime bit seems familiar too.  Aye no bother shall I just not have any lunch today then?

Close enough, it is public sector and has reminded me why I usually avoid it. I think the response I got to questioning lunchtime meetings was "ah it's ok just go on mute and eat lunch, it should be limited input required" I can assure you I'll limit my input m9. 

The most useful meetings I've ever had are the ones that are like "fancy a quick 15 mins to chat this over." I can't believe people will expect c***s to sit through an hour long meeting, no one has the capacity to concentrate that long. 

[TheScarf]

2 minutes ago, thistledo said:

Close enough, it is public sector and has reminded me why I usually avoid it. I think the response I got to questioning lunchtime meetings was "ah it's ok just go on mute and eat lunch, it should be limited input required" I can assure you I'll limit my input m9. 

The most useful meetings I've ever had are the ones that are like "fancy a quick 15 mins to chat this over." I can't believe people will expect c***s to sit through an hour long meeting, no one has the capacity to concentrate that long. 

Aye those one are the best ones.  A quick 10 minute call with someone to explain something or confirm something.  Quick and informal.  But less about my shagging.

[DA Baracus]

4 minutes ago, strichener said:

That you didn't know who SEPA are?  Not at all.

If you are referring to their data being released then you should hope it doesn't happen with your employer although it would appear that their information security training is either really deficient or your are completely ignorant regarding the criminal value of the data that flows through an e-mail system.

 

[Hillonearth]

3 hours ago, thistledo said:

Book in "Focus time" or "[Insert project name] time" It's mental, but my old team had to do this to avoid basically attending meetings all day. I've since stolen it in my current contract as they love a meeting packed day, f**k knows how they get any actual work done, talk about doing work a lot though. 

I've had to resort to private meeting a lunch hour every day because c***s can't seem to comprehend the basic human need to eat/drink. 

It's the one downside of working from home...the ones organising meetings aren't shy about setting them up during traditional lunch hours because, well...it's not like you're actually going anywhere, are you?

I had an invite to one a few weeks back that was supposedly to discuss mental health and mindfulness strategies...scheduled for 12.30 to 1.30...sent the calendar invite back as a knockback with a note saying my own mental health and mindfulness would benefit from actually getting out the house that day, so basically ram it.

Edited April 7, 2021 by Hillonearth

[Honest_Man#1]

34 minutes ago, Hillonearth said:

It's the one downside of working from home...the ones organising meetings aren't shy about setting them up during traditional lunch hours because, well...it's not like you're actually going anywhere, are you?

I had an invite to one a few weeks back that was supposedly to discuss mental health and mindfulness strategies...scheduled for 12.30 to 1.30...sent the calendar invite back as a knockback with a note saying my own mental health and mindfulness would benefit from actually getting out the house that day, so basically ram it.

Yeah the numerous meetings lasting all day, and also not being spaced out at all, are ridiculous. Someone putting in meetings from 11-12, then another 12-2, without even a 10 minute break in between. f**k off.

[Guest bernardblack]

Meeting scheduled 10-11am

Generic office type who tried too hard to look busy: “Hey so everyone, I have a hard stop at 11am”

Yeah me too m9, since the meeting is scheduled to finish at 11

[Hillonearth]

57 minutes ago, Pato said:

I like sending certain prolific meeting organisers this article. Meetings that run over 2 hours result in impaired cognitive ability of the participants as they're all CO2 poisoned.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2019/03/21/all-that-hot-air-in-meetings-makes-us-dumber-and-the-reason-why-will-shock-you/

Never underestimate how much certain types actually enjoy them though...our weekly branch head co-ord meetings are a classic example - thankfully I only have to attend when my boss is off. There's a distinct breed that love office politics and actively look forward to them as an opportunity both for face time with big bosses and to jockey for position...back in the office you'd be in the lift after the meeting with a couple of them excitedly discussing how X "got" Y by quoting a slightly different figure to the one Y had initially said like it was some sort of sick burn.

You've also got the dull-as-ditchwater ones who relish a captive audience. We've got one. It should really just be a case of going round the attendees and asking if there is anything that might have some kind of impact outside their branch...really, if you talk for any more than 30 seconds, you're doing it wrong. Not yer man...he's incredibly enthusiastic about a really dull subject and will take you on a step by step guide to a new form they're using like he's doing a handover and you'll be starting in his bit the following Monday.

Edited April 7, 2021 by Hillonearth

[Sergeant Wilson]

Got all of the above for meetings. A new one I've noticed is "what if" hypothetical type conversations loosely based on work on Teams chat. It can get like a personal IM service with a lot of inane shite, emojis etc. Drove me mental until I turned off the audio alert, now it's just very irritating.

[BFTD]

7 hours ago, Pato said:

What are folk's best strategies for getting out of attending meetings?

The most popular method of avoiding the monthly meetings at my employer:

"If you want me to go, I'll have to shut the shop for the day"
"How?"
"You've still not found a manager/assistant manager and I've been lone working for months"

I think the last one that actually went ahead was December 2019. I got out of it by saying I had work to do.

[tamthebam]

8 hours ago, Pato said:

What are folk's best strategies for getting out of attending meetings?

I had a workmate who stood in for the office manager at a managerial meeting. Normally these were "everything's wonderful, nothing to see here". My workmate, used to struggling at the front line where everything was going to shit, kept asking awkward questions and challenging management's rainbows and unicorns world view.

Never got asked back to another meeting...

[Cardinal Richelieu]

Assuming a normal working day of 9-5, it should be in the statute books that meetings can only be scheduled between 10am and noon, then 2pm and 4pm. 

It especially grinded / ground my gears people who would schedule a meeting during the lunch 2 hour window. Some p***k who takes their lunch at 1pm assumes that it's okay to schedule meetings from 12-1pm during my lunch? Looking back I wish I'd consumed my lunch of tuna sandwiches and durian fruit during those meetings. 

[NotThePars]

10 hours ago, Pato said:

What are folk's best strategies for getting out of attending meetings?

If it's Teams meetings then I'm all for one because I switch my camera off, mute my mic and play Disco Elysium for a solid hour.

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

8 hours ago, tamthebam said:

I had a workmate who stood in for the office manager at a managerial meeting. Normally these were "everything's wonderful, nothing to see here". My workmate, used to struggling at the front line where everything was going to shit, kept asking awkward questions and challenging management's rainbows and unicorns world view.

Never got asked back to another meeting...

This is a great tactic. Be polite, know what you're talking about and absolutely rubbish the cosy consensus and you'll find you rarely get asked back

7 hours ago, NotThePars said:

If it's Teams meetings then I'm all for one because I switch my camera off, mute my mic and play Disco Elysium for a solid hour.

This is the true joy of working from home. Hour long uk wide update with 60 attendees? Fire up the PlayStation

[ArabGaz]

17 hours ago, Pato said:

What are folk's best strategies for getting out of attending meetings?

I fill my Outlook calendar with made up appointments so when colleagues check the scheduling assistant it will appear as if I am busy.

[FK1Bairn]

We've got an office Whats App group that was set up at the start of the pandemic to pass on urgent information and be a place where folk can ask for help with work stuff if they were struggling. 

It's turned into the biggest load of pish, so much so I turned off the notifications about 6 months ago. 

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

7 minutes ago, FK1Bairn said:

We've got an office Whats App group that was set up at the start of the pandemic to pass on urgent information and be a place where folk can ask for help with work stuff if they were struggling. 

It's turned into the biggest load of pish, so much so I turned off the notifications about 6 months ago. 

I politely told someone to f**k off for using one of these group chats, which comes to our personal phones, to ask if anyone could help with a piece of work they were producing off their own back on a Saturday morning. Notifications straight off 

[Cardinal Richelieu]

53 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

This is a great tactic. Be polite, know what you're talking about and absolutely rubbish the cosy consensus and you'll find you rarely get asked back

This is the true joy of working from home. Hour long uk wide update with 60 attendees? Fire up the PlayStation

I have done this in the past but it's not without its dangers. I attended a massive meeting where I didn't expect to interact with. I was playing a cracking game of Civilization when I heard the words "Do YOU think it's a good idea, Cardinal Richelieu?" ... normally you could just ask them to repeat it because they cut out slightly, but it was absolutely clear I was being asked for my summary of the entire meeting and I couldn't even begin to bluff my way out of it. My only course of action was to wait 30 seconds then disconnect from the meeting and Teams, then offer up some apology at a later date when my internet came back online. 

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

5 minutes ago, Cardinal Richelieu said:

I have done this in the past but it's not without its dangers. I attended a massive meeting where I didn't expect to interact with. I was playing a cracking game of Civilization when I heard the words "Do YOU think it's a good idea, Cardinal Richelieu?" ... normally you could just ask them to repeat it because they cut out slightly, but it was absolutely clear I was being asked for my summary of the entire meeting and I couldn't even begin to bluff my way out of it. My only course of action was to wait 30 seconds then disconnect from the meeting and Teams, then offer up some apology at a later date when my internet came back online. 

If you're ever caught out connection problems are the go to. It's like when I was wfh in the call centre at the start of covid and our call volumes were close to 0, there was a fair bit of "Hello, hello? Sorry I can't hear you" *pulls out Lan cable* going on when the occasional person called in to ask some random punter who works selling train tickets view on whether their trip to Hull is essential travel 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Genuine Hibs Fan