Reply to: Early meetings

[Sysman]

I had to do that once coz some stuff we'd bought from ARS microsystems had the wrong software with it.

The bastards wouldn't talk to me.

I had a problem with someone who wanted us to pay up front without seeing their software/hardware in action because they were paranoid about piracy.

We'd already been bitten by a different bunch of sleazes so we wanted a demo first.

Stalemate, so we went elsewhere.

The worst bit about it was the interminable voice menus. This was back when some combination of BT and the US telcos meant that US switchboards didn't understand UK phone tones.

We eventually got a gizmo you could hold to the mouthpiece and tap in US style tones, but it was a faff.

I only phoned the feckers up because ARS microsystems had their heads up their arses.

In the end I had Siliconix Inc buy the stuff & send it over to us.

We also had the "US credit cards only" run around. A former colleague who had moved to the US helped us out there.

[Sysman]

Fat **** with a penchant for champagne?

Never met them so dunno.

[TheFaQQer]

To me that's lunchtime

Yes, we know that agents can't tell the time - I'll give you a call this afternoon when I have some news

[CheeseSlice]

What noddy company can't setup dial in meetings? Do you need to actually be there? I work from home almost every day expect for bit all day meetings once or twice a month.

Places like where I am. They don't do that sort of thing. Meetings are slow drawn out affairs. Coffee is served. Very old skool.

[speling bee]

FTFY.

I once had to go back into work at 8 or 9 to call someone on the West Coast of the USA.

Fat **** with a penchant for champagne?

[CheeseSlice]

I think the real question is what would make you inflict so much pain on yourself as to want to travel 3 hours each way? Currently doing 70 mins each way and happy it is finishing after 6 months, Next role will be 40 mins each way and I still feel that's a big long.

Nah wasn't every day. My normal commute was 2 hours. That particular meeting was a one off, tw*t decided it had to be in an office the wrong side of london to me. I had to take an intercity train into London, tube right across town, and another mainline train out again to get to it. I'd have driven but needed to be in zone1 again afterwards.

Current and last commutes are 1:40 and 1:50 respectively. Harsh but beats staying in hotels.

[Sysman]

Ah, the dear dead days beyond recall of early morning conferences with Hong Kong & Taiwan, & late evening conferences with California.

Fortunately I never had to do them.

FTFY.

I once had to go back into work at 8 or 9 to call someone on the West Coast of the USA.

[DodgyAgent]

Clientco ask me to attend an 8:30am meeting tomorrow at a moments notice. ?

To me that's lunchtime

[northernladyuk]

I take it you don't work in a bus station toilet? Odd timed meetings are the norm.

FTFY

[jmo21]

What rot.

I'm not by any means saying you shouldn't have different teams around the world, far from it. I just think teams work better when the members are all in the same location.

Communication issues like silly meeting times, wait for responses over night from different time zones, are the 2 main problems I have with teams split across time zones/continents.

Even in the same country, I've seen issues with "them and us" between different offices.

Of course it can work, but in my experience it can be very difficult.

[speling bee]

The only time I will do early or late meetings is very occasionally when it involves medical or nursing staff who are giving up their time around a clinical workload to contribute to the project.

My current project is a ridiculous journey from home (3 hours each way), but I made it clear before I started that I would only do it for two months, with three days per week on site and that I couldn't arrive before 10:00 or finish after 15:30.

[Unix]

What rot.

So you don't see any downside for a project to be split across teams spread over the globe than say one location (albeit with remote workers in the same timezone)?

[d000hg]

Another one of the many reasons working with remote teams massively sucks and should be avoided at all costs.

What rot.

[jmo21]

I take it you don't work in a global environment with technology hubs based in India then? Odd timed meetings are the norm.

yep, but they usually worked closer to our schedule and sub teamed so early/late meetings could be minimised.

Another one of the many reasons working with remote teams massively sucks and should be avoided at all costs.

Works both ways of course, teams should always be in the one location or at least time zone.

[vetran]

Fair point but phone conferences just aren't the same as a real meeting. You spend half the time trying to figure out who is who - unless you know them well - and interrupting each other. If everyone but you is in the office you are kind of excluded.

I'm sure this is a specific skill you can gain, but I find phone meetings - other than 1:1 calls - extremely disjointed.

its a skill, a good host can glue one together.

I'm not a good host