11 Things People Do In Meetings That Quietly Annoy Everyone Else In The Room
We've all had to deal with these annoying actions from our coworkers.
MAYA LAB / Shutterstock Whether you work remotely from home or are in the office, it isn’t always easy to get along with your coworkers. When it comes to working as a team, it’s hard to always see eye-to-eye with those you work with. Patience can be tested. I know when I worked in the corporate world, I was often irritated by things my coworkers did, especially during meetings.
Meetings are frustrating as is. Having to take time away from doing your work to talk about the business with your colleagues isn’t exactly fun. Since frustrations are already high, the behavior of those in the room with you can be especially annoying. “Studies show that the average employee spends about 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings. That’s almost a full workweek,” noted the team at Deskpass. “And it’s not just about the time spent in the meeting itself. There’s also the 'meeting anticipation' effect, where you’re less productive before a scheduled meeting, and the time it takes to refocus afterwards. All in all, that 'quick' 30-minute meeting might actually cost you nearly an hour of productive time.” When you’re already annoyed in a meeting, it’s difficult to deal with those around you.
These are 11 things people do in meetings that quietly annoy everyone else in the room
1. Arriving late
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When a work meeting is scheduled, you are expected to show up on time. You only have so much of your day to dedicate to this conversation. When a colleague, or worse, the person running the meeting, shows up late, it’s frustrating. They are showing that they do not respect your time.
“Being perpetually late is not only annoying, it also reflects poorly on you, as people may see you as disorganized, stressed, or even disrespectful of others. I know there are a lot of excuses for why you are always running late — too many meetings, too much work, you’re needed in these conversations, etc., but it’s important to think about how you can move beyond the excuses and apologies and break the tardiness habit,” writes Robyn McLeod for Chatsworth Consulting Group.
The next time you have a meeting, be sure to show up on time to respect your coworkers.
2. Multi-tasking
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There are not enough hours in a day. This feels especially true in the workplace. It can feel overwhelming to try to tackle all your tasks each day. When you throw in meetings and other situations that take you away from your desk, it can be annoying.
When you’re expected to take time out of your day to attend a meeting and those around you are multitasking and not paying attention, it can be frustrating. Occasionally, the person who is putting the meeting together will be working on something else while trying to have the conversation they planned.
It’s difficult to focus when people around you are working on other things while in a meeting. It’s disrespectful. Everyone has their own work to do, but when people prioritize their own projects over meetings and group conversations, it is annoying.
3. Having their own conversations
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Picture this. You enter the office on a normal day of work to find a mandatory meeting has been added to your calendar. This happens first thing in the morning. Now, your whole day is thrown off. You make your way to the meeting, either on Zoom or in person, and you can hear your colleagues talking to one another as the gathering gets going.
How frustrating is it to be trying to listen to a conversation, especially one that you didn’t necessarily want to be part of, while those around you whisper to one another? It’s a major distraction. While it can be hard to keep on track, especially in a boring meeting, no one likes the people who can be heard having their own side conversation.
4. Making themselves the center of attention
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We have all had that one coworker who assumes they are smarter than everyone else. They think they have all the best ideas. They want to share every thought that pops into their head. When you’re in a meeting with this type of colleague, it can be distracting and frustrating.
Behavioral specialist Gregg Levoy has an idea to remedy this. Over-talkers may graciously give up the floor, so try adding your own opinions.
“It turns out that over-talkers aren’t generally offended — or even surprised — if you interrupt them, or even outright ask to be included more in the conversation," he says. "They’ve undoubtedly been told before that they talk a lot, or too much, and some of them may even appreciate the interruption, as it gives them an opportunity to share conversation rather than dominate it, to learn something new rather than recite well-worn stories, and perhaps even realize that the means they’re using to try and connect with others may be having the opposite effect.”
5. Showing up unprepared
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We’ve talked about several ways coworkers who are annoying in meetings disrespect the time of others. The worst way to do so may be coming unprepared. This is especially annoying when the person who called the meeting arrives scatterbrained. The people attending did not ask to be there, so the least the leader can do is show up ready to go.
Showing up to a meeting unprepared makes it look like you don’t care about your job. While that may not be true, choosing to arrive messy and unorganized tells a different story. To respect everyone's time, including your own, show up to meetings prepared. Otherwise, your colleagues could be quietly annoyed by your behavior.
6. Going off-topic
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I remember a specific meeting I had when I worked in the corporate setting. It was the end of the day, and we were having a conversation about an upcoming event as a team. Things seemed to be wrapping up when suddenly, everyone started discussing something completely off-topic. I ended up having to stay late at work so they could finish their conversation. I was quietly judging all of them!
“Every business meeting should have a predefined agenda. The agenda helps keep meeting activity centered on specific goals. If the meeting is about a workplace investigation, the agenda should not include a discussion on a company weekend retreat,” says CGT Staffing. “Meetings should stay focused on the task at hand, whether it is discussing performance appraisal methods or a new onboarding process. Off-agenda discussions are not really important to the meeting; otherwise, they should be on the agenda.”
7. Coming to vague conclusions
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Finally, the meeting is coming to a close. You’ve been focusing, but your mind has also been on what’s coming next. As it wraps up, you realize questions were never answered. What was the point of this conversation? What are the next steps?
Leaving a meeting with more questions than answers is annoying. When you are expected to give up time out of your day to learn something, and your colleague leaves with an open ending, it is frustrating. If you can’t walk away from a meeting confident in what was addressed, it is clear it was not successful.
8. Texting
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Although we live in a digital age, sometimes technology doesn’t have a place in something. This goes for meetings. When a coworker is spending the entire conversation glued to their phone, it quietly annoys everyone else in the room.
A study conducted by Howard University found that the majority of workers still see the use of cell phones during business meetings as disrespectful. “Making or taking calls, writing and sending texts or emails, checking text messages or emails, and browsing the Internet are considered strongly inappropriate in formal business meetings,” researchers found.
We have all been bored in a meeting. However, it’s key to stay off our phones to make the experience better for everyone around us.
9. Stalling
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This one circles back to arriving late. Imagine you’re in a meeting room. The start time has come and passed, but someone who plays an important role in the meeting is nowhere to be found. Your boss is stalling. They’re making excuses and forcing conversation. Everyone around you is starting to become annoyed.
“Many organizations we have worked with endure the triple whammy of meetings that are (1) too frequent, (2) poorly timed, and (3) badly run, leading to losses in productivity, collaboration, and well-being for both groups and individuals. This is the worst-case scenario — and, unfortunately, the most prevalent. The majority of our survey respondents — 54% — put their meetings in this category,” the Harvard Business Review states. Stalling plays a major role in this waste of time.
10. Making constant noise
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I am very sensitive to noise. Little sounds like sniffling, chewing, or tapping get under my skin. It’s something that makes certain environments difficult. This is true for quiet meeting rooms. If someone is constantly moving around and making these little noises, it can deeply impact my focus.
“Although sounds are not the only source of distractions at work, noise is a notable cause of frustration, as nearly every office worker can tell you. Noise is not just a minor nuisance that hinders focus; it can have a great toll on physical, cognitive, and social well-being at the workplace,” says Framery. “With lowered productivity, distractions at work are bad for the employer’s bottom line as well.”
11. Going over time
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When you get a meeting invite, it will have a set start and end time. This is important. It allows you to plan and structure your day. It’s essential to stay on time. When a meeting goes over, it makes everyone else feel quietly annoyed.
When it’s a boss who is going over time during a meeting, it’s hard for his employees to speak up and say something. I know I have been in this position. It can be incredibly frustrating. It shows that your boss has no respect for your time and cares more about what they have to say.
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities, living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
