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Email and Meetings

I'm sorry if this does not belong here. But, I have a comment and a couple of questions regarding using email to schedule and unschedule meetings?

I found out this morning, upon arriving to my desk, that a meeting this morning had been cancelled. The decision to cancel the meeting had been made last night, after business hours. I'm a little frustrated because my preparation last night prevented me from doing things I would have rather done.

Here are my questions:

1. Under what circumstances do you all expect to hear through email about a meeting being called or cancelled? How much lead time do you expect? In my case, a phone call to my home number would have been appreciated. (The first change I made to my home routine was to not check work email. It's been a nice change.)

2. Do any of you work in a workplace where the "canons" of email communication are codified? That is, where it is spelled out very precisely when and how to use email for making meeting changes? If so, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Obviously, if the meeting had been cancelled for emergency reasons, I would understand. The part that frosts me is that the meeting was cancelled for the lack of preparation among the others in the group.

Cheers!

jkenton's picture

You are right, Noodle. Frustrated...

You are right, Noodle. Frustrated and disappointed at the same time.

And you are also correct in assuming that "one more rule" won't solve the problem.

I should have been more "mind like water" and seen the situation as an opportunity to do something else I like better during the now-free time. But, I saw the situation as a chance to be angry instead.

Better communication, as you and others have said, is ultimately the best course of action.

Thanks everyone!

 
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