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Bad Manners and Brimstone
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#Post#: 30273--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: Hmmm
Date: May 1, 2019, 1:31 pm
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As the manager, it is your responsibility to address this with
the other manager. I wouldn't wait for the management meeting,
I would address now if your boss is not going to immediately ask
him to move his meeting. I'd send an email with "Hey, I'm sure
your team is finding your daily stand up meetings beneficial,
but unfortunately having them in the break room is distracting
for my staff. Would you move them to a conference room please?
Then find out what time his meetings are and try to go grab a
coffee at that time and disrupt the meeting if it is in
progress.
-Oh, excuse me, just needed a refill and to put something in the
fridge.
I think it's funny that he thinks these are hip. I used to do
them 20 years ago, but we had a private floor and they lasted
about 10 minutes. They were handy before there was more
"automated" reporting to alert everyone if we had any outages
the night before, if all backups ran, if we needed to bring down
any systems during the work day and if we needed to do any
upgrades that night. I think we also did a run of any tickets
that were still open from the previous day and make sure we had
appropriate people on point. I can't imagine what I'd have a
stand up meeting about these days.
#Post#: 30276--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: Lula
Date: May 1, 2019, 2:09 pm
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I would have no problem strutting right into the kitchen and
microwaving myself some popcorn. Might even heat up some
extra-potent Indian cuisine while I'm at it.
#Post#: 30278--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: Codewoman
Date: May 1, 2019, 2:22 pm
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--- Quote from: lowspark link ---
>
> On a side note, I sit on a large open floor. No cubicles, just
rows of desks. It's built that way to enable collaboration which
is necessary in the business I work in. I sit on the very first
row, with a row of conference rooms right behind me. The door of
one of those rooms is directly behind my chair.
>
> Now, mostly, people go in and close the door and have their
meeting. But every once in a while, they keep the door open.
There's lots of chatter in this office so the sound of people
talking doesn't bother me. But in the conference room, that
sound gets amplified because of the comparative size of the
room. So it can be and most often is, quite distracting.
>
> I have no trouble getting up, sticking my head in the room
with a SMILE and closing the door. I do it with a smile to
indicate that it's no biggie, but hey, the door needs to be
closed. No one has ever taken offense and most often, someone in
the meeting apologizes and I reply that it's fine.
>
> I don't think there's anything wrong with telling someone that
they are being too loud or intruding on your concentration if
> a) it's not the norm for the office
> b) it's going on more than just a minute or two, or is
chronically recurring
>
--- End Quote ---
I have a weekly meeting that used to be held in a small room
without ventilation. With a loud manager. So we always had to
keep the door shut during the meeting because there is an
employee who sits right outside the door. It got humid and
smelly in there. I hated the day I had those meetings. Then we
hired a new project manager/communications person. His mandate
is to define his job as he likes. He is wonderful and has taken
over some "Housekeeping" tasks like documentation, training
management, and meeting administration. He promptly moved us to
a much bigger room with proper ventilation. I adore him!
#Post#: 30281--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: Hanna
Date: May 1, 2019, 3:48 pm
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--- Quote from: Lula link ---
>
> I would have no problem strutting right into the kitchen and
microwaving myself some popcorn. Might even heat up some
extra-potent Indian cuisine while I'm at it.
>
--- End Quote ---
It honestly does no good if what I saw a few months ago is any
indication. I walked in and he said "Oh Hanna is here to join
our meeting." and promptly starting talking at me. I just
said, "oh, are you having a meeting here?" Did what I wanted to
do and wandered out. I don't think it phased him, and he would
have kept me there talking endlessly if I didn't walk away.
#Post#: 30311--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: accountingisfun
Date: May 2, 2019, 11:51 am
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I would stay away from the hinting that it is inappropriate by
making popcorn, et al. It's obvious that s/he is not getting the
hint by saying that "Hanna is joining the meeting". I'm glad you
mentioned it to this manager's supervisor, but I would also
directly tell this manager that this is distracting to others
who are trying to get their work done and it is impacting the
team's performance with the choice of meeting space. Then ask
him/her why they chose to have their standup meeting in the
kitchen space rather than in the nearby conference room. Is the
room booked? Is it not big enough for the team? Is there a
business reason for choosing the lunch room over the conference
room? The answer might be enlightening. Based on the answer, you
can respond with either the direct request to move the meeting
to the conference room or brainstorm a solution that works for
the entire organization. If you have a tone of trying to
understand why s/he chose the lunch room and explaining how
his/her actions are impacting the team, you shouldn't be putting
this manager on the defensive and you would be letting him/her
know that the fact of their choice of meeting location has the
factual impact of decreasing productivity, which I would hope is
not his/her goal.
#Post#: 30315--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: Lilac
Date: May 2, 2019, 12:42 pm
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Does the stand-up meeting happen at a set time? If so, in your
shoes I would visit my direct reports' cubicles at that time to
hear the disruption first-hand.
Then when the meeting ends I would waylay the other manager:
"Rick, I need to speak with you privately for a moment. Please
join me in the conference room."
In private, "Rick, is there a reason you are not using this room
for your meetings?" after he replies, "Well, unfortunately
using the kitchen is really disruptive to other teams. How do
you propose to address that?"
If he's adamant that he'll continue using the kitchen, can some
of his team members be moved to the nearby cubicles, and yours
moved further away, and nearer to you?
#Post#: 30323--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: oogyda
Date: May 2, 2019, 2:39 pm
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--- Quote from: Lilac link ---
>
> Does the stand-up meeting happen at a set time? If so, in
your shoes I would visit my direct reports' cubicles at that
time to hear the disruption first-hand.
>
> Then when the meeting ends I would waylay the other manager:
"Rick, I need to speak with you privately for a moment. Please
join me in the conference room."
>
> In private, "Rick, is there a reason you are not using this
room for your meetings?" after he replies, "Well,
unfortunately using the kitchen is really disruptive to other
teams. How do you propose to address that?"
>
> If he's adamant that he'll continue using the kitchen, can
some of his team members be moved to the nearby cubicles, and
yours moved further away, and nearer to you?
>
--- End Quote ---
This!! You're a manager so put on your manager pants and
manage! Politics and personalities, be damned....stick up for
your people.
Alternatively, "someone" could organize an continuous flow of
employees exerting their right to use the kitchen at the exact
time he wants to have a "stand up meeting" every.single.time!
#Post#: 30331--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: bopper
Date: May 2, 2019, 3:03 pm
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"Hey Pat, I was wondering if you could do your standup meetings
in the conference room? It is distracting to my people who sit
next to the kitchen. Thanks!"
#Post#: 30375--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: Rose Red
Date: May 3, 2019, 9:09 am
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--- Quote from: bopper link ---
>
> "Hey Pat, I was wondering if you could do please move your
standup meetings in the conference room. It is distracting to my
people who sit next to the kitchen. Thanks!"
>
--- End Quote ---
If it were me, I'd tell, not ask. Don't give him the option to
say no.
#Post#: 30379--------------------------------------------------
Re: Dealing with complaints from direct reports about shared
spaces and other managers
DIR By: Aleko
Date: May 3, 2019, 9:39 am
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--- Quote ---
> Don't give him the option to say no.
--- End Quote ---
And don't say it as though you were asking him to do you a big
favour, rather than to do the obvious proper thing that he
should have been doing in the first place!
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