[smelendez]

The main issue that this gets at is that meeting time is a valuable company resource and a contentious resource for employees and should be managed as such.

People shouldn’t feel free to chime in with half-baked ideas in meetings or call meetings willy-nilly any more than they would play horseshoes with equipment from the supply closet, use the company credit card for grocery shopping, or call in sick to play golf.

What appropriate policies look like probably do vary by company and team but the policy shouldn’t just be that anyone with access to the calendar software can call a meeting or that anyone in the meeting can speak at any time.

[makeitdouble]

> call in sick to play golf

If someone really doesn't want to work, I think from the employer's perspective it doesn't make a difference. We could argue physical and mental inconveniences could be seen the same. I guess there will be places were there's a legal split between the two kinds, but I kinda wish there wasn't.

(I'm assuming there's a finite number of days either way)

[A4ET8a8uTh0]

I think I agree. And this may be why there is so much variance. What worked with one team, vendor, group, might not work well with another. I am just about end a very unpleasant project about to go-live and has been something of a shitshow from the beginning. The one recurring theme throughout that we had no one person in charge, who could (edit: nicer phrasing ) help guide the conversation. Post-mortem will not be fun for anyone.

The lack of structure can be a benefit; it can work, but not when the project requires close coordination. On the other hand, stupid policies can easily hamstring PMs.