Coincidence or avoidance?

[Katie G]

How many times does someone cancel a meeting on you before you get suspicious?

I spent two days getting five people in a room.  One of the departments represented is notorious for being uncooperative.  Meeting was set for 10:00 this morning and at 9:10, I get an email from said department that they have to cancel because another "emergency" meeting has come up.

If that happened once, I'd say ok.  Twice -- I'd still say okay.  But this is the FOURTH time this has happened with this meeting.  My gut says they're trying to avoid having the meeting.  Problem is, they have information we need that is critical to a project we're doing.  We've asked, reminded, asked and reminded again for this information and got nothing.  Then they told us that they'd prefer to meet with us and "disucss" what kind of info we're looking for and why.  (Like we didn't spell that out explicity in the emails when we asked and reminded, *lather, rinse, repeat*)

So I move heaven and earth to set up this meeting, I confirm and reconfirm, up until 5:00 yesterday and now, this.  (Lather rinse repeat!)  For the fourth time since late November.  

Did I mention we're running out of time for this project?

I guess what is also annoying me is the fact that they don't even APOLOGIZE when they do this.  It's just an email from the admin that the meeting "must be rescheduled."  No "We're sorry," "We regret the inconvenience"  (and it WAS inconvenient!  My boss had to move his entire day around to meet their availability!)  And every time it's some vague "emergency" meeting.  Four times?

Dammit, my boss isn't one for unnecessary meetings.  He doesn't have time for that nonsense.  And we wouldn't be asking for the info if we didn't need it.  (Oh, and the project is one mandated by the CEO.  It's not a load of busywork.)

If I sound annoyed now, you should have heard me at 9:12 this morning when I opened the email.  Good thing I have my own office!

Grrrrrr.  Thanks for letting me vent.  Back to kissing rear ends to see if they can deign to find a sliver of time sometime in February.  

Humph!

[donnap99]

How rude -- and extremely frustrating!!!  I'd say at this point that your boss need to speak to their department head.  If their department head is the difficult one, then the next rung up from him/her.  You have wasted valuable time and this nonsense has cost the company by wasting your resources. Can you nudge your boss to step in?

DonnaP99

[Katie G]

Our gut instinct was that we'd LOVE to go a rung up and rattle this guy's cage.  The problem is this project we're working on isn't a very popular one and we're not sure what kind of support we'd get without going to the CEO himself -- which we don't want to do because we're a new department, and we don't want to come off looking like we're "tattling" on a department that's been here forever.  Not a particularly good political move.

Actually, my boss has decided that he's just going to saunter over to this guy's office and just drop in for a "friendly chat" and see if that breaks the ice a bit.  (Also to see if he's really as "busy" as he claims to be -- hee hee!)  Boss is pretty good at just getting along with people, even when he disagrees with them, so we'll see what that does.  

[jak0215]

I say stop kissing the rear ends and start demanding some of your own.  Enough is enough.  After a certain point, I think that I would have to march my butt over to that department and make them explain face to face why they can't seem to keep an appointment.  It will be much more difficult for them to explain face to face than it seems to be in an email.  I wouldn't even stop at the other Admin's desk, go directly to the person whose attendance is required for the meeting.  If this goes on for much longer you will have to inform the CEO WHY you can not move forward with the project as planned.  Tell them that, it may light a fire under their A**es.  We spend so much of our days trying to make sure that our Bosses days run smoothly and there are always people out there who like to throw speed bumps in our way.  

[countrigal]

If your boss's dropping by doesn't get it done, then try to say that this is an emergency meeting (which by this point it is becoming) and state that representatives from all departments named is mandatory.  Perhaps the threat of the whole scheduling fiasco to date being brought to the CEO's attention might get you a bit more respect and response for the next meeting.  Nothing says you have to actually go, as I understand your motives for not wanting to involve him, but you also want to cover your own arses, so that when the CEO comes down and demands explanations for why this wasn't completed, y'all - as the new kids on the block, so to speak - don't get handed all the blame.  Sometimes threats actually work and get desired results.

Good luck!  And here's hoping that bossie's casual drop-by gets the needed results without you having to go through the headache once more of trying to set up this meeting and going to these lengths.

CountriGal
Peer Moderator

[juspeachy]

I can relate to this as a Secretary caught between.  My boss has been known to do the same thing with a couple of other department heads here.  I really don't know why he has a problem with these people, but I'm the one who has to call the other office and do the canceling.  I DO apologize for the inconvenience, even though I'm sure he'd rather I didn't bother.  I'm not going to be rude just because he has a personal problem with someone else.  

One of the department heads has tried to tackle the problem by pulling a "drop-in."  That didn't stop him from getting up and leaving his office saying that he forgot to tell me he had another appointment.  

This is the worst part of my job.  I like everything else about it, but when he has to deal with these two people, I'd just as soon stay home those days.  

JusPeachy

[Katie G]

Peachy, that's just an awful position to be in.  Don't get me wrong -- I don't blame the poor admin in that office.  (Although I do think an apology, or at least an apologetic tone would be nice.)  I'm sure she gets tired of this game as much as I do.  And when I do call there, it sounds like boss is right there in earshot so we can't even quietly figure out a way to deal with this bewteen the two of us (assuming she'd be willing.)

I can deal with the big ugly stuff.  But this stupid petty cr@p is what drives me up the wall.  

Well, it will be interesting to see what the "drop-in" will do.