RANT: Meetings before 9am and after 5pm are the worst

Dec 271 min read

Why does every company do this??? I have specific hours I'm trying to protect (8:30am-3pm is basically my actual work window with kids), and yet every meeting invite either wants me at 8am (can't do - school run) or 5pm (can't do - dinner/bedtime).

I told my manager this and got told "well, we have people across time zones." Cool. So do other companies that manage it better. Frustrating.

End rant. Coffee didn't help.

11 comments219 views

Comments(11)

GGreg W.RegularDec 28

Protecting 8:30-3pm is actually smart. That's you being present for the parts that matter most. Why don't more companies understand this?

OOmar S.RegularDec 28

This is why I love my current manager. She blocked off my hours on my calendar as 'Dad Hours - Focus Time' and literally nobody books over it now. Might be worth trying if your place allows it

KKarl J.RegularDec 28

Have you tried pushing back directly? Like when they send the 8am invite, reply that your availability is 8:30-3pm and ask when they can do it then? Some places respect that more than you'd think

DDale A.RegularDec 29

8am meetings before you've even gotten kids to school are criminal. Companies used to pretend to care about work/life balance but then do this

SSteve Q.RegularDec 28

8:30am-3pm is such a specific and reasonable window too. the fact that companies can't respect that is wild. like you're literally giving them consistent hours, why do they need you at 8?

AAdam J.RegularDec 29

Same boat. I've straight up started declining 8am meetings and saying my schedule doesn't allow it. Most of them aren't even necessary so they get rescheduled to actually reasonable times

CCarl D.RegularDec 29

The 8am meeting when you've been doing school drop-off is psychological warfare. like congrats, now I'm 10 min late and my cortisol is through the roof before we even start

PPete A.RegularDec 27

The after 5pm ones piss me off most. That's when I'm actually WITH my kids and everyone acts like that's flexible time

EEd R.RegularDec 27

the after 5pm thing is somehow worse than early morning because it eats into actual family time. at least morning meetings get done before kids wake up

BByron S.RegularDec 29

Same. I started declining anything before 9am and after 4:30pm without explanation. somehow the world didn't end. turns out most people don't actually need you there at those times

DDerek P.RegularDec 28

i put "core hours 9-4" in my slack status and literally blocked my calendar. people adapted. you have to set the boundary or they'll just keep booking you