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Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

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101–110 of 146 posts

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#101

This always seems to be such a controversial view here, but if you think a meeting is pointless and that you have nothing to gain from it or contribute to it, just don't go. We're all grown-ups at work, and are ultimately responsible for our own productivity. Be prepared to articulate exactly why you feel some other use of your time is more appropriate, in case someone asks, but nobody is holding a gun to your head t…

Here's the one simple trick they don't want you to know about: email the organizer, making sure to CC everyone, asking for the meeting's agenda.

no, please don't do that. only asking for an agenda while cc'ing everyone is passive aggressive.

a more congenial approach would be to provide your understanding of the agenda, perhaps as a question, and then asking if there's more or another alternative: "it sounds like we're going to collectively make a decision on [x]. is there anything else on the agenda for this meeting?" even better if you do this one-to-one and, if needed, suggest the meeting invite be updated accordingly.

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#104
post #75

Speaking of, could we just not with calling meetings "ceremonies"? It is so pretentious and pompous sounding.

By design, it is a term of derision.

Eh? 'Ceremony' is a word we normally use for important events. Weddings, funerals... that kind of thing.

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#105
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By design, it is a term of derision.

Eh? 'Ceremony' is a word we normally use for important events. Weddings, funerals... that kind of thing.

Not in a sarcastic business-meeting context.

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#106

Meetings are awesome because I get to do nothing, get paid for it, and everybody agrees I did something that took up time and was work related. What is there not to love?

Seriously. Its not like alternatively I can code for 8 straight hours. I treat meetings like breaks for the most part.

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#107

This always seems to be such a controversial view here, but if you think a meeting is pointless and that you have nothing to gain from it or contribute to it, just don't go. We're all grown-ups at work, and are ultimately responsible for our own productivity. Be prepared to articulate exactly why you feel some other use of your time is more appropriate, in case someone asks, but nobody is holding a gun to your head t…

As someone who has done this, I can tell that it's not easy to justify. In my previous company, there were two teams, one in India and the other in US, working on a project. Each team had a scrum master and a daily morning scrum call. The India team was expected to attend the US team's scrum call as well. This made no sense to me as I already provided updates in the Indian scrum call. So I made it clear that we should either cancel the Indian scrum call or we should not attend the US one. But I was a relatively junior developer and senior engineers were complying despite disagreeing with the arrangement. So, the US scrum master escalated it as far as he could take it. I did not back down and defended my position with senior management as well. It was a fun filled week though. Every day the US scrum master would think of a new silly reason to escalate my absense and I would have to counter it. Eventually, the practice of attending both scrum calls was dropped.

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#108
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh? 'Ceremony' is a word we normally use for important events. Weddings, funerals... that kind of thing.

Not in a sarcastic business-meeting context.

People do not use it sarcastically in my experience. Plenty of non sarcastic references like this

https://www.atlassian.com/agile/scrum/ceremonies

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#109
There was a time when I used to say "What? Another pointless meeting? Oh c'mon that just distracts me from working on features/writing code!". I don't say that anymore. I'm fine with useless meetings because:

- it's work time. I don't really mind how I spend my working hours. It's 8h and no more (well, with WFH, it's more like 5h or so, but the point stands)

- if the meeting is pointless, I just disconnect. So, the meeting is actually like a break for me. I grab a coffee and let it go

- if I have too many pointless meetings that do not let me do "my job" (but remember, pointless meetings are your job as well!), well let it be. In the standup of the next day I will clearly state: "I spent 2h attending meeting X". If someone asks "why aren't your Jira issues done on time?", I just answer "Oh, I was working on something else (meeting X)".

So, pointless meetings are actually not bad. Just keep your soul free of noise, work (code) when you have time for it.

Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings

#110

There was a time when I used to say "What? Another pointless meeting? Oh c'mon that just distracts me from working on features/writing code!". I don't say that anymore. I'm fine with useless meetings because: - it's work time. I don't really mind how I spend my working hours. It's 8h and no more (well, with WFH, it's more like 5h or so, but the point stands) - if the meeting is pointless, I just disconnect. So, the m…

> I don't really mind how I spend my working hours.

Must be nice to not have hard deadlines while on salary.

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