We have a staff meeting every week on Wednesdays that was originally intended to let us share the projects we are working on so that was can collaborate.
Except that we are all stretched so thin and so busy with our own projects that we don’t have much chance to collaborate. So, the meetings become a recitation of what we are working on at the moment and pretty much no one cares what the others are working on.
I held out for a long time. I came prepared with notes and would take notes, diligently paying attention and keeping myself focused on whoever was speaking at the moment and contributing where I could.
I’m still prepared with some notes, but my attention wanders. I may check my email or do a little work, but enough of my attention is engaged that I can keep up.
Today, while I was giving my report on my tasks, one of my co-workers pulled out a book and started reading.
Really.
I blurred what I was talking about into a comment directed at him to try and get his attention – then finally stopped and called him out on it. He put the book away and I continued once I found my place again. A few moments later while I was still talking, he got out the book again and tried to hide it behind the screen of his laptop. This time, my boss called him out on it.
What bothered wasn’t that he wasn’t paying attention. None of us are paying attention to each other in these meetings – it’s just the way it goes. What bothered me was that he wasn’t even pretending to pay attention. Just struck me as rude. After the meeting, he sent me an instant message with a comment that essentially blamed me for being boring. I fired back that a little courtesy will make the meetings more bearable. I think he apologized, but the whole conversation was rife with sarcasm that I couldn’t be sure.
I dropped my boss an email before I left for the day suggesting that we re-evaluate the meetings and how they are structured – there has to be a way to accomplish the goals and still engage everyone.
One thing is for certain – I need to take a couple days off.