# What is the most ridiculous time you have ever had a business/work related meeting?



## angolaviator (May 1, 2012)

Got a business meeting on Saturday morning at 5am.  Means getting up at 2.30am due to long drive in.  This is a first for me.  My weekend is ruined!  It may not even bring in any business... would you go?


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## weltweit (May 1, 2012)

angolaviator said:


> Got a business meeting on Saturday morning at 5am. Means getting up at 2.30am due to long drive in. This is a first for me. My weekend is ruined! It may not even bring in any business... would you go?


A few years ago sure I would go, now, not so sure.
Is it important? is it the only time you can meet?


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## FridgeMagnet (May 1, 2012)

Surely no real person would go to a meeting at 5am. Is it an attempt at satire?


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## skyscraper101 (May 1, 2012)

The other week I flew through the night from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale to go to a meeting at 10am - my body having had no sleep and still on 7am time


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## silverfish (May 1, 2012)

angolaviator said:


> Got a business meeting on Saturday morning at 5am.  Means getting up at 2.30am due to long drive in.  This is a first for me.  My weekend is ruined!  It may not even bring in any business... would you go?



Work life balance sez FUCK THAT OFF

Genuinely who the fuck thinks that would be an acceptable set up and what adult wouldn't find it reasonable to be in a conversation about how that is unacceptable for a "normal person"

Worst I've experienced was a brief for a job at heathrow an hour before I flew to Afghanistan for the job


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## Voley (May 1, 2012)

angolaviator said:


> Got a business meeting on Saturday morning at 5am. Means getting up at 2.30am due to long drive in. This is a first for me. My weekend is ruined! It may not even bring in any business... would you go?


That's terrible. Our boss called one at 4pm on Friday last week and that was enough to piss the whole office off.


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## marty21 (May 1, 2012)

Meetings should only be held between 12-2 when everyone is at lunch


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## AverageJoe (May 1, 2012)

At that time of the morning no-one is going to be fully functional, certainly not enough to be able to make decisions.

Also, anyone calling meetings at that time of the day is going to be a nightmare and selfish client to work for - you'll end up in their pocket and having to do meetings at any time of day or week which will lead to resentment and ultimately the contract going tits up.

If its that important why cant you meet at a different, more mutually respectable time. Or even do it over Skype or something.

Is it a first meeting, or do you know the client already, and what are their reasons for such an early meeting?


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## xes (May 1, 2012)

I had a job interview at 2am on a pub style bench outside a factory.


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## ruffneck23 (May 1, 2012)

My boss is often in meetings til past 11pm with our American counterparts who just don't seem to understand there are different time zones across the world......


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## ruffneck23 (May 1, 2012)

Oh and then there was the time someone wanted to have a phone meeting at 7.45am on a Sunday which I politely declined by saying I would be getting ready for church


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## fractionMan (May 1, 2012)

I had to be in before 9am this morning


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## 5t3IIa (May 1, 2012)

xes said:


> I had a job interview at 2am on a pub style bench outside a factory.



Did you get it?


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## fractionMan (May 1, 2012)

Once, I had to go in before 8!  OMG


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## Yelkcub (May 1, 2012)

7am meeting are pretty normal for me. Only silly hour ones were the odd site meetings when the work was necessarily nightwork, so it made sense to meet with the site's shift time.

Meetings at in the middle of the day piss me. Have it at the start or finish of the day so there's time to get stuff done before or after....


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## xes (May 1, 2012)

5t3IIa said:


> Did you get it?


I did yes. But it was only formality anyway, I'd kind of already got the job. And it was at silly oclock, as that was the shift. And it was on a bench, as that was the smoking area and the "boss" was on break.


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## pinkmonkey (May 1, 2012)

Skype call at 5.30am yesterday - I was volunteering all the rest of that day, it was my clients last day at the factory (we're designing stuff that is being made in that factory) and we've done a call every day he's been there.
We can't help this - he lives in Tenessee, the factory is in South Korea and there's big time difference issues.
I've done conference calls at 3am with an agent in Spain before but that's because she never seems to sleep.
On the other hand because I'm my own boss I can do the food shop when you lot are all at work and the supermarket is quiet.


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## equationgirl (May 1, 2012)

Yelkcub said:


> 7am meeting are pretty normal for me. Only silly hour ones were the odd site meetings when the work was necessarily nightwork, so it made sense to meet with the site's shift time.
> 
> Meetings at in the middle of the day piss me. Have it at the start or finish of the day so there's time to get stuff done before or after....


Lunch meetings annoy me. I don't get a paid lunch break so if someone wants to book a meeting over lunch, I normally decline. It's my time.
I've had a couple of meetings at 8am - normally not too much of an issue as I'm in work by 7.30-7.45.


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## StoneRoad (May 1, 2012)

One recent job I had started before 0800 .....
.... and before that, a different one had a "team managers" meeting at 0730 or 0800 followed by the managers briefing their staff on the expected things for that day - and some teams de-briefed each night at 2000 (8pm) as well......which was an exhausting way to spend a summer.

Currently, I get to work for approx 0845 and work for the day finishes when it is done.  The pleasures of doing specialist work!

back in the days of steam loco's - the fire lighter's and early turn crews would be up at "half-past sparrow's fart" to prepare engines......followed by shovelling several tons of coal into the firebox. I think us modern workers have things slightly easier, now.


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## Blagsta (May 1, 2012)

angolaviator said:


> Got a business meeting on Saturday morning at 5am.  Means getting up at 2.30am due to long drive in.  This is a first for me.  My weekend is ruined!  It may not even bring in any business... would you go?


Are you nuts?


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## Onket (May 1, 2012)

angolaviator said:


> Got a business meeting on Saturday morning at 5am. Means getting up at 2.30am due to long drive in. This is a first for me. My weekend is ruined! It may not even bring in any business... would you go?


 
Go down the night before and drink solidly until 5am.

They will never want a 5am meeting with you again. Or possibly any meeting with you again.


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## Pingu (May 3, 2012)

due to the joys of having clients all round the world who seem to think I am some sort of font of knowledge on certain matters I have had meetings both IRL and vi conference calls\vid links at pretty much every time you could think of.

The BIG one that sticks in my mind though is being flown out to Mumbai for a 2 hour meeting.. business class flights plus swanky hotel (The Oberoi),  that I contributed absolutely nothing to whatsoever. I was there purely because another vendor had their "expert" there too.

I am not really even an expert on this shit. I just know a lot about the whole area and have an extensive network of contact who are experts, rather than any in depth knowledge of any one particular bit.


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