I have a couple of colleagues who seem to want to have a phone call/conference/virtual meeting for every little issue.

Anonymous

December 13,2023 at 1:53PM UTC

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I have a couple of colleagues who seem to want to have a phone call/conference/virtual meeting for every little issue.

It has gotten to be very cumbersome and annoying to be honest. 99% of the time the saying "this could have been an email" applies to these time consuming conversations. When it comes to a new task or project on the table, they will say "let's schedule a time to chat" when all it takes is sending me a quick email to state what they need. Sometimes they will send an email with details and still insist on a call to discuss the email. I'm good at reading. I am burnt out on repeated calls and virtual meetings that I find are largely unnecessary, and my preference is always to deal with tasks via email or our team messaging app rather than being on the phone all day. I also prefer emails/written text so I have something to go back and reference should the need arise. I have tried to gently push back and state "thank you -your instructions in the email are clear. Can you share with me if there is anything in particular you still feel is needed to discuss via a scheduled call? I will be sure to reach out to you if I have any questions" and they will insist on a call! These calls are time consuming and a distraction when I just want to do what I need to do and move on to the next thing.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions or thoughts as to why people want to have a call about every little thing that easily can be stated in a short email?

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AnonymousDecember 13,2023 at 2:35PM UTC
On the call or prior let everyone know you have a hard stop on such and such so they get to the point quickly.
Also block out large portions of your day on your calendar so you can work with your preferred undistracted time. This will prevent your colleagues from breaking up your flow.
Working with others mean you need to be flexible and accommodate other people's work styles. Not everyone prefers your style. Some people like those touch points during the day. It's a preference. That's all.
So if it negatively impacts your productivity or peace of mind, be better at carving out your time and setting boundaries. But be aware that other people need accommodation to allow for their work style as well.
AnonymousDecember 13,2023 at 2:44PM UTC
Are you all working remotely? It may be that some of them need to have actual conversations about what you all are working on. Rather than ad-hoc meetings at the spur of the moment, why not schedule a daily check-in call at the beginning or end of the day? I have noticed that the world has moved from communication through face-to-face and phone conversations to texting, email, and messaging apps. Perhaps some time allotted each day or a couple of times a week for everyone to "check in" would solve this. It would allow everyone to schedule their time better to work around the meetings. Some people need a more hands-on approach. This gives you the "space you need" and gives them the desired face-to-face collaboration time.
AnonymousDecember 13,2023 at 4:16PM UTC
ARGH! One of my directors does this. We have a weekly group meeting, bi-weekly one-on-ones with our supervisors, and bi-weekly meetings with the director without our supervisors (which I find odd and redundant), and then this individual almost always includes "we can chat about this in person" after answering a (very small) question in an email. I've ready the advice already posted and it's great, but I think there are also colleagues who have a desire to feel fully involved in every small decision or discussion. (It's not just me where I am; this is disruptive and annoying to most of my coworkers, too.) This person is above me (and also doesn't take hints), so I'm not sure what the answer is - I wish I had a better response to give you. But, you're not alone; this is definitely some sort of personality thing with some colleagues. (Snidely, it also makes me wonder what isn't getting done when they're busy making this extra work, but maybe that's just me being irritable!) =)
AnonymousDecember 13,2023 at 7:03PM UTC
Is there a day and time all of you are in the office together? It may help to have a face to face meeting once a week or every other week. People are social by nature and this may help them feel more included in projects. I wouldn't be so hard on them, they just want to be open with the communication.
AnonymousDecember 13,2023 at 7:46PM UTC
We are fully remote but have weekly virtual team meetings, and more if needed. That's plenty for me. My work style is not such that I need constant socialization. So all the in between calls are a bit much especially when stating a request via email or messaging/chat works just as fine.
AnonymousDecember 15,2023 at 4:50PM UTC
That's just their style. They may be extroverted, or have some doubts about whether emails were read correctly (could even be based on prior experience). Keeping the peace and being cooperative is a good use of time, so try not to resent it.