This should really just be an outlook plugin that estimates the cost of a meeting at the time of scheduling.
Thinking the net cost of a meeting is just a sum of hourly wages is like complaining the iPhone costs 799 when the parts are 299.
Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
71–80 of 146 posts
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#72This 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 a manager, I encourage my team to just say "no" where ever possible. I also always push to halve the times of meetings I'm in (and typically that works well). - We have 10 min standup every day - We have 30 min sprint planning every week - We have 30 min retro every week Beyond that we will talk as necessary between people. In reality pushing back is pretty effective at determining if a meeting is important. If th…
> - We have 10 min standup every day
At my workplace we now have 90 minute daily standups because it was perceived the employees are not doing enough quick enough. It has obliterated any hope of progression in a single work day without overtime (unpaid!) since these typically will run over by a long margin, eating up what little time we had for actual development.
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#73This 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 engineer, I just continue working on other tasks in every single meeting. For me that multitasking works, and I don't have meeting fatigue at all. Then again, I'm not the main decision maker most of the time.
Many meetings are completely useless, full of checked out attendees. I guarantee that many people with their cameras off are doing this exact same thing. Some of them are just using this time to get stuff done around the house.
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#74We need to have a meeting about meetings that discuss the policy on policies to set some ground rules and then circle back...
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#75Speaking of, could we just not with calling meetings "ceremonies"? It is so pretentious and pompous sounding.
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Depends. If your schedule has a lot of flux (meetings being cancelled ad-hoc, etc.) then it can be useful to accept everything but notify the host that you probably won't be there unless something changes. That way if something does change you at least still have it on your calendar (I use Outlook, maybe other calendar/meeting apps handle this better).
Google Calendar has a Maybe option that solves it simply enough.
Outlook has Tentative, for the same reason.
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a manager, I encourage my team to just say "no" where ever possible. I also always push to halve the times of meetings I'm in (and typically that works well). - We have 10 min standup every day - We have 30 min sprint planning every week - We have 30 min retro every week Beyond that we will talk as necessary between people. In reality pushing back is pretty effective at determining if a meeting is important. If th…
> - We have 10 min standup every day At my workplace we now have 90 minute daily standups because it was perceived the employees are not doing enough quick enough. It has obliterated any hope of progression in a single work day without overtime (unpaid!) since these typically will run over by a long margin, eating up what little time we had for actual development.
I've seen teams that have a 30+ minute morning standup, and an end-of-day standup of unlimited duration based on how much the lead wants to rant that day.
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#78This 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.
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#79Speaking of, could we just not with calling meetings "ceremonies"? It is so pretentious and pompous sounding.
By design, it is a term of derision.
Re: Show HN: An app that helps engineers fight back against pointless meetings
#80I'm waiting for the meeting that helps engineer fight back against pointless apps
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