Declining a meeting that could be an email

Career Topics General
1

I get some meeting invites that I’m pretty sure could be emails. Usually these are the sort where an hour is requested and they turn out to just take 5 minutes because I can answer the question pretty quickly.

The thing is I usually don’t know the answer before the meeting happens. The person asks me a question and then I Google it on the spot and then I repeat what I see on Google. I can often tell just from the invite message that it’s gonna go this way.

What’s the most polite way to handle this?

2

message them on teams, tell them the answer, and say “do we still need the meeting?”

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3

This is a very important mundane situation you have here.

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4

I’m thinking of taking these at the gym maybe. Hope it’s okay to hear whatever EDM is on when I answer the question.

5

Um you’re going to take a teams meeting at the gym? Are you trolling here?

6

I don’t see the problem. These are my favorite kinds of meetings. You now have 55 minutes blocked off where people think you’re busy and won’t bother you. You also look like a hero for answering their "Very Complex Question (VCQ)"™ in a very short amount of time, apparently off the top of your head.

4 Likes
7

Well yeah if it’s gonna be one of these 5 minute you could have used Google type meetings. Listen to the question for 5 minutes on mute and then unmute and say whatever I Googled and then go back to being a hard gainer bro.

8

That’s pretty rude to others at the gym. Why are you at the gym during work hours?

9

Sometimes people request meetings at weird times like 8:00 AM, I can’t work if I don’t take care of myself first you know. But I would really be doing both of us a favor if I just responded, “Use Google.”

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10

I see a big problem.

You’re telling me instead of having 60 minutes to play games I now only have 55 minutes? :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

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11

yikes, my coworkers NEVER request an 8am meeting. sorry bro, sleeping.

12

you could easily just block off an hour on outlook as “busy”. you don’t need someone bugging you with an unnecessary meeting to do this.

13

Damn you guys work late. I’m on pacific time and I used to work with east coast people, and sometimes I would log in before they even get in lol.

But yeah if it’s in person I’d rather not talk to anyone.

14

Assuming this is serious, email the organizer and ask for more information about the topic of discussion so you can be prepared for the meeting. Hopefully they give you enough information for you to respond with an answer and no meeting is needed.

15

some people just like to discuss things vs others like emails. i’m in the email camp myself because then i can think things through. it’s hard to dissuade those who are in the teams meeting camp from their ways.

16

I do a team zoom call at 8am every Monday. Though that’s because everyone chooses to start at 8, and I’m up and working anyway. Otherwise I wouldn’t do that to people.

17

There was a Brazilian tv actor like that. He got fired.

18

If you’re high up enough, change meeting policy to require an agenda prior to scheduling. That will magically turn so many meetings into emails.

If you’re not high up enough, ask for an agenda anyway.

I freaking hate useless meetings. Especially in a virtual setting where I can’t even turn it into a walk to get coffee with someone.

19

Are you willing to lose this deal?

20

Yeah, but you can mute yourself and watch youtube instead.

1 Like