The Greatest Escape: Escape From Meetings

Attending a meeting means one can't do their work. It doesn't matter if they don't have things to do. But for those having very hectic schedules and a lot of urgent work piling up on their desks, going to a meeting is definetely a waste of time. After all, with the ever increasing tasks and targets, who will still have enough free time to sit around and wait for the clock to strike 5.30 PM?

I personally hate meetings and so far I always try to escape them in anyway I can. I especially hate meetings with the Account Service Dept. Mainly it's because meetings with them are always disturbed by phone calls, SMSs and more phone calls! No wonder the meetings can last from morning till evening, which I bet they shouldn't have taken that long!

I understand that one of their job descriptions is to pick up the phones from our clienteles, but when attending a meeting, especially when it's their turn to talk, is it that difficult to ignore the phone? After all, cellphones are equipped with a feature to automatically record missed calls that they can always return the calls as soon as the meeting is over.

Let me describe what a typical meeting with the Account Service Dept. looks like:

It's a 9 AM meeting whose annoucement has just been given half an hour before. But till 9.30 AM there are only half of the participants at the premises. Then one of them would take the initiative to call up the remaining people who haven't showed up, while the rest of those already in the meeting room killing time by gossipping, or joking, or both. At 10.15 AM finally everybody shows up.

Everybody? Not quite! Because the Account Manager who is supposed to chair the meeting is still in her room talking on the phone with a client. At 10.30 finally she enters the room. Then the meeting starts. Yes, but only for 15 minutes, because not long after that someone interrupts to remind everybody that they have to order food for lunch. Then meeting is adjourned for another 15 minutes to decide which delivery service to choose. And another 15 minutes for everybody to make up their minds on what food to order.

Then the meeting starts again but everybody doesn't recall where they left off, so it has to begin all over again. Meanwhile, someone's cellphones - as if in turns-keep ringing that they keep going in and out the room to answer. Worse, the manager chairing the meeting also does the same. Only she keeps answering the phone right where she sits (or stands) instead of going out of the room, and letting everybody wait for her to finish her phone conversations.

An hour later, the food delivery comes, and since everybody has gotten hungry, they're more interested in the food than the on-going meeting. So again, meeting is adjourned for lunch. A fulfilling meal later, half sleepy and half worried about the pending works, the meeting is continued with the same phone calls stuff going on. The fastest, it is dimissed at 6 PM, but it can also last till 9 PM.

And that's why I prefer to escape meetings. Isn't that a great escape?