I HATE Lunch Time Meetings 20

[casseopeia]

I guess this isn't really a question but more of a rant.

Lunch meetings should be rare, only if completely necessary and at most once a month. I now have several per WEEK, sometimes every day. They think they are being nice by bringing in sandwiches or pizza. Sometimes it's just cookies.

But I just want to eat my chicken salad with celery and have my Mandarin orange while watching YouTube cat videos.

And sometimes I’d like to go to the bank or drug store during lunch, or make a private phone call to my broker or tax accountant which requires leaving the office to truly be private.

My lunch hour should be mine to do as I please. I am really tired of noontime meetings.

OK I feel a little better now. Thanks


If you are offended by the things I say, imagine the stuff I hold back.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Direct from the horses mouth:

https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/fs17a_overview.pdf

(I believe this fits most here)

Professional Exemption
To qualify for the learned professional employee exemption, all of the following tests must be met:
•The employee must be compensated on a salary or fee basis (as defined in the regulations) at a rate notless than $455 per week;
•The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of work requiring advanced knowledge, defined as work which is predominantly intellectual in character and which includes work requiring the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment;
•The advanced knowledge must be in a field of science or learning; and
•The advanced knowledge must be customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction.

(and just to cover all bases)

Highly Compensated Employees
Highly compensated employees performing office or non-manual work and paid total annual compensation of $100,000 or more (which must include at least $455 per week paid on a salary or fee basis) are exempt from the FLSA if they customarily and regularly perform at least one of the duties of an exempt executive, administrative or professional employee identified in the standard tests for exemption.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[spciesla]

At a previous place of employment, when new management came in they scheduled some meetings on Saturdays. Granted that this was a power plant which is a 24/7 operation, but the gist of it was to "set the tone" about who was in charge and what was required of the employees.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I weep for any employee whose employer feels the need to "set the tone" in such a manner...

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[WARose]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. The worst part is the food. Like you said: it's always something nasty like pizza (which I cannot eat). The other thing is: I drink a ton of fluids when I eat. Getting up every 5 seconds for a re-fill is a pain.

At several places I've worked they have lunch time meetings called "lunch and learn". It's where a company person will give a presentation on something [he/she doesn't know anything about] and they will claim it's good for a pdh hour. Guess what? Not in most states I am registered in.

It's very inconsiderate to disrupt someone's lunch hour like that.

 

[casseopeia]

I’m two for two already this week. I don’t remember ever having this many lunch time meetings.

If you are offended by the things I say, imagine the stuff I hold back.

 

[Sparweb]

A quote from Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary:

If you aren't here to work on Saturday, don't bother coming in on Sunday.

Bear in mind that there is a culture conflict here. There are often people at the executive level of any company that are expected to be there, or on call, 24/7/365 for the company, especially the owners of the company. They value their work ethic, and many entrepreneurs get ahead by acting this way. Confronting them with the value you place on having a lunch hour may not go over well. My manager doesn't get a lot of quiet lunchtime hours. We collaborate with other engineering groups and support production workers in several time zones. They phone us when they need us.

I am not saying you should put up with these pointless meetings. I just want you to be cautious when you do bring it up, and be prepared to overcome a lack of understanding by using reason, not just the letter of the law.

STF

 

[ornerynorsk]

SparWeb, very true. Your post reminds of the quip "and that is why they make the big bucks". Sadly, some US companies have adopted the shame culture that once was, and maybe still is, prevalent in Japan, in which one doesn't dare be the first person to leave the office, lest ye suffer the disdain and scorn of the other drones.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[swertel]

First to leave the office.
First to take a piece of cake.
First to open that box of donuts.
First in line at the potluck.

I have no shame. I'm a leader, a trendsetter, an example for others to follow.
I take my responsibilities very seriously.

Besides, someone has to do it.

--Scott
www.aerornd.com

 

[ornerynorsk]

Good on ya, Scott! I try to do the same! Well, except at potlucks, we let the old folks go first, and I'm not ready to be included in that category just yet.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[CWB1]

JME in those types of offices but folks typically don't notice or care when others' leave, only when they arrive. Late afternoon traditionally holds few important meetings, so many of us doing early mornings to mid-afternoon then take a break at home before the international meetings start mid-evening.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I've been in the offices where quantity of time was paramount, quality was secondary (or often not even considered). "You're a Senior Engineer, so you should be working 50 hours a week". No, I'm a Senior Engineer because I have gained numerous years of experience that is useful to you... you pay me more than a Junior Engineer because of that experience, not because I will work more (work smarter, not harder, right?).

Ironically, they'll pull the same crap with the Juniors... "You don't have family commitments, so you can work extra hours.". Either way you slice it, they're merely trying to get MORE out of you for a price previously agreed upon. It's sketchy, and dare I say, immoral.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[Sparweb]

It's sketchy, and dare I say, immoral.

Hey, let's not gang up on the entrepreneurs and managers, here. Have some spine and say "No" if you want to stick to the regular work-week; explain your reasons. There are lots of people who will jump for the chance to take home overtime pay. They have their reasons. Turning it into a moral position just makes people take sides.

STF

 

[MacGyverS2000]

There are lots of people who will jump for the chance to take home overtime pay.

But that makes the (often) faulty assumption that extra pay is involved. For exempt employess, 50 hours pays as much as 40. I often jump at the chance for extra take-home... but the position has to allow for it. Not many do.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[CWB1]

But that makes the (often) faulty assumption that extra pay is involved.

Also depends on how you define "extra pay." My current employer pays OT beyond 40 but makes it well known that there is no special treatment otherwise of those employees working OT. My previous two employers didn't pay OT however they both based your annual bonus upon your annual review, hours worked, and value to the company. Some folks were perfectly content with their salary alone and being a lower level individual contributor. Personally I found the $20k bonuses as an individual contributor, choice of projects/roles, and rapid promotion up into management for yet larger bonuses well worth an extra 10-20/week.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Also depends on how you define "extra pay."

You make $100k/yr with an expected 40 hrs/wk. They ask you to work an extra hour, and will pay you some money over and above your $100k/yr for that extra hour. There's no trickery involved in my wording... extra pay is extra pay.

Personally I found the $20k bonuses as an individual contributor, choice of projects/roles, and rapid promotion up into management for yet larger bonuses well worth an extra 10-20/week.

So you're willing to work 25-50% more hours per week for, what... 20% extra pay (assuming $100k/yr salary)? Sounds like a good deal for the company. If you're making $200k/yr, that deal gets even better for them.

No, at a bare minimum, they should pay you the same wage as if you were hourly. At $200k/yr, that's $96/hr. Working those numbers through, your year-end bonus should be $50-100k for working an extra 10-20 hours/wk. You just accepted a $20k bonus for something the company would be paying another equivalent employee $100k for. Yep, that's a sweet deal for the company, alright... but you get to be manager next year.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[CWB1]

So you're willing to work 25-50% more hours per week for, what... 20% extra pay (assuming $100k/yr salary)? Sounds like a good deal for the company. If you're making $200k/yr, that deal gets even better for them.

Sure am, that extra $20k annually goes a long way toward early retirement for those of us without pensions. It also allows me to move up in the organization to exponentially higher income levels. At best both of those equal additional years of my life spent not working while providing a better life for my family, which are the end goals. At worst those give me a cushion in case of future employment or financial issues. The logical counterclaim then becomes that I'm "missing out," yet I find my life more structured out of necessity, more efficient, and I actually miss out on less bc of it.

Personally I could care less about a drop in an imaginary hourly rate, the "lower" rate is still more than I made starting out in the military and a nice chunk of change with real benefit.

 

[Korichnevijgigant]

This happens to me so much at my current job, generally I just warm up my lunch and take it in with me and eat while the meeting goes on. Generally they are "Dilbert" type meetings so doesnt really matter if I pay attention haha

 

[Terratek]

Your year end bonus should be based on actual performance, not extra hours worked. Some can make that extra $20K without working 25 percent more hours.

 

[EdStainless]

CWB1,
Salaried mean fixed pay rate, no overtime, no bonus plan, period. That is the reality for nearly all of us.
I have never worked less than 45 hour weeks, and 50-55 is far more typical.
Travel on Sundays to make that Mon morning meeting roughly once a month.
I like my job, I am given quite a bit of flexibility, and I usually don't mind.
What I mind is managers who think that by micro-managing peoples time, especially outside of normal working hours that it somehow shows that hey are 'better managers' or 'getting more out of their people'.
When in reality the only result is lower productivity and higher turnover.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[casseopeia]

EdStainless, you bring up an interesting point. The company where I work has had a terrible turnover since I started last year in July. Just this week three key people left or announced they were leaving. I can't say the frequent impositions on personal time is the cause, but it might be a small factor. For me it's not enough to quit over it. As I get projects of my own, I can have a little more control over my time.

If you are offended by the things I say, imagine the stuff I hold back.