My current job/company isn’t that bad compared to some others out there but the one thing I cannot stand is the sheer amount of meetings we all have to book. Nothing can be done over email. We all must get on Teams or Zoom to discuss. And we have to be on camera. Barf.
I’m taking care of a sick, elderly parent, which I’ve made everyone aware of. I’ve blocked time off on my calendar that I dedicate to doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, insurance shenanigans, etc. They are clearly labeled and only 1 hour per day. No one in my company respects these blocks of time. I stopped showing up to the meetings that were scheduled over my blocks. Someone got pissy and reported me to my boss. I told her very politely but firmly that my family comes first and that if this company really lived up to it’s “core values” (empathy being one) they’d understand.
I was assured that everything was fine. After two days of no one scheduling over my blocks of time off, I get put on an email thread discussing a project and yeah, you guessed it, they want to schedule a meeting to discuss. The meeting host proposed a time that I have blocked off and says “I know some people have this time blocked off but I really want to get this done.” Everyone else agrees to the proposed time. I decline and the host starts whining and I’m made out to be the bad guy. “Oh well Sue made an exception, can’t you just hop on?” I’m absolutely livid.
End rant. I hate meetings.