PA and Secretary Community - Deskdemon.com

It has become apparent during my current employment that some individuals do not seem to realise the implications of using email v meeting requests.

For example, my boss is due in a meeting at 2pm today but no meeting request has been sent.  Instead an email was circulated including start time and supporting documentation, but no notification of the meeting room.

Surely if you are circulating details of a meeting, you send a meeting request within which you can also add/attach supporting documentation?

If an email is sent to my boss and not cc'd to me -
- I do not see a copy of that email unless I view his Inbox

If a meeting request is sent to my boss and not cc'd to me -
- Both my boss and I receive the meeting request and therefore I can accept or decline from my own Inbox

This has caused some confusion today because if the details for this meeting had been sent as a meeting request, and not as an email, the details would have all been included.

As it happens, in sending this info in an email, the organiser has omitted to include the venue. 

I am wondering if this individual knows you can add attachments to meeting requests and not just emails...?!

I don't know how things are at your company, but the most common reason I see people do that is because not everyone is on the same calendar program.

It's possible they just didn't think about it one way or the other. It's easy enough to accidentally forget to include the meeting room of course (regardless of how the message is sent).

In my company, meeting requests are circulated for all meetings, and we all use the same Outlook version.  This ensures secretaries can manage their bosses diaries much more effectively...well that's how it's supposed to operate.

It was a bit unusual on this occasion since the individual, who is PA to our Deputy CEO, sends meeting requests for other meetings.

I would never send a meeting request as an email.  An email can be read and forgotten but a meeting request usually gets a response of some sort.

PS.  The first thing I do when organising a meeting is check if there is a room available.  If I omit that you can be sure I will get 101 replies asking where the meeting is being held.  Plus, my boss always needs to know where he is required to be next, and so do I.

We are on a program other than Outlook.  I have it set so meeting notices forward to my inbox when sent to my boss.  This worked great for me and my former boss.  However, with the version differences in the program now, I am still working with IT to set this with the new bosses e-mail and have it work properly.  However, to your point, I have experienced the e-mail mtg. notice dilemma you describe.  A few years ago, we had Executive Assistants to our top level Executives that were "old school" and refused to use the meeting notice system in the calendar.  Everything was sent via e-mail and attendees were required to manually update their schedules in the electronic calendars.  Amazing how things can change in 4 years!  The problem was a combination of two things, lack of knowledge on how to use the tool, and refusal to accept change and improve. 

Good Luck!

Thanks Peaches.  I think you understand exactly what I mean.

I agree, why would anyone want to or have to manually update their Calendar when there's a built in tool allowing individuals to "Accept or Decline" each request.

A little refresher course might come in handy for some.

Well, I finally got the meetings forwarding problem solved today with IT and my new bosses calendar.  The notices are coming to me like they should.  Works great.  When I assumed this role 4 years ago with my former boss, his direct reports were thankful I use the meetings tool.  They could not believe the difference and ease of maintaining the schedules.   

Grrr...this is so frustating...more meeting requests, agenda to follow.  Then days later a separate email with agenda attached, instead of attaching the agenda to the original meeting request and sending it as an update.

I always, if not already done, attach agendas to my boss's meeting requests.  That way when the reminder pops up, you can print any attachments housed therein, and you don't have to go searching for an email with an attachment.

Surely it's common sense    ::)  ::)  ::)

Well, we have another one.  Received this week a meetings schedule on a spreadsheet, with note stating mark your calendar, no electronic meetings notice will be sent.  This was the revised schedule.  I was left off of the first distribution.  La Te Da.......:)

Peaches,

We need to have a word, eh?

Gee - Eh:)  She is about 800 miles away and the EA to the leader of our organization.   I will not let it steal my joy:) 

Funny how it's always those at the top who cause the most frustration!!

Grrr...

Why do individuals send meeting requests then when something changes, they send an ordinary email???  Just update the meeting request so we don't have to copy and paste the new info to Outlook Calendars!!

Soooo annoying!  I don't get it!  :o

Gee,  That is the whole point, isn't it?  That these people don't 'get' Outlook (even though some of them probably believe they are expert Outlook users!  :P

If that's what 20 years working in the same place does to a person, I am so glad I am me!

I only caught the info as I was reading through my bosses emails.  He never picks these things up and leaves me to do it...which is fine, if it's a meeting request...but can be missed if you have to read through emails.

Peaches/Gee -- you guys should come on over to my place where I have three people out of 15 who insist on keeping a "paper and pencil" calendar ONLY!  No Outlook/Google Calendar/Meetingmaker, nothing!  I can understand keeping one as a backup, but it sure makes finding times for meetings a real time wasting pain in the neck.  Needless to say, it's caused more than one goof-up over the years!  And of course, I'M the one who looks like a chump.  :-\

I couldn't agree more Katie.  At interview before we are hired, these employers want on-the-ball, quick-thinking, problem-solving PAs who are able to make like easier for managers and directors...PAs who are IT savvy and can use the latest technology.

Instead what do we get?  Individuals who do their own thing and cause problems for the rest of us.

I have another for you....one manager here, who doesn't use Outlook, not only enters his appointments in a small pocket diary, but keeps it to himself.  How on earth the PA for that department schedules anything for him is beyond me.

Can't these people see this kind of attitude/behaviour doesn't work?  Aren't we all supposed to work as a team instead of making life more complicated??

 ??? No ...  :-\ can't see it ...   :o the answer is too obvious, so therefore must be wrong!

We have one who sends the meeting notice, send the agenda and meeting details in an e-mail, and subsequent updates in e-mail.  i just copy and paste into the original mtg notice.  It takes more time, but I work with it.  It is frustrating.