I have a coworker with children who has for the last few years dictated when our department meetings are held. She can't get to work early because of day, so afternoon meetings work better. She has to leave by a certain time, so meetings have to occur earlier in the afternoon to accommodate her schedule.
My work requires travel, and in the afternoon I am out in the field - not in our office. So her need for afternoon meetings conflicts with mine - morning meetings work best for me, when I am present in our office and available. This became an issue and FINALLY someone came up with the idea that we alternate - morning and afternoon, to accommodate us both...however, my department head says nothing and just schedules afternoon meetings or no meetings at all more commonly.
The other day we working to setup a meeting time and it was an afternoon 'available' ... even though it has been a long time since we had a morning meeting. I told them what time I was able to meet, and my coworker responded about her children and daycare. Since it is not my issue, I responded back that she needed to choose a date/time that was convenient to her children and daycare since the original date present a 'work' conflict for me. I continued to reiterate that I was more than happy to accommodate her children and daycare schedule so she needed to choose a time that worked best for her. My experience has taught me this is the expectation anyway.
So then, after this big to-do and a more 'reasonable' time was set for our meeting she comes back and says that she was NOT asking for meetings to be scheduled around her daycare and children ... but it actually was because SHE brought it up. She said the original meeting date and time wouldn't work because of her children. So I gave in to 'her' schedule and said you decide what works best and then she says that isn't what she was asking for.
Why did she make a big deal about her children and daycare, then say that isn't what she was doing?
My work requires travel, and in the afternoon I am out in the field - not in our office. So her need for afternoon meetings conflicts with mine - morning meetings work best for me, when I am present in our office and available. This became an issue and FINALLY someone came up with the idea that we alternate - morning and afternoon, to accommodate us both...however, my department head says nothing and just schedules afternoon meetings or no meetings at all more commonly.
The other day we working to setup a meeting time and it was an afternoon 'available' ... even though it has been a long time since we had a morning meeting. I told them what time I was able to meet, and my coworker responded about her children and daycare. Since it is not my issue, I responded back that she needed to choose a date/time that was convenient to her children and daycare since the original date present a 'work' conflict for me. I continued to reiterate that I was more than happy to accommodate her children and daycare schedule so she needed to choose a time that worked best for her. My experience has taught me this is the expectation anyway.
So then, after this big to-do and a more 'reasonable' time was set for our meeting she comes back and says that she was NOT asking for meetings to be scheduled around her daycare and children ... but it actually was because SHE brought it up. She said the original meeting date and time wouldn't work because of her children. So I gave in to 'her' schedule and said you decide what works best and then she says that isn't what she was asking for.
Why did she make a big deal about her children and daycare, then say that isn't what she was doing?
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