5.1 A chaotic meeting

[A shy person… a bit quiet]

…I don’t know…I suppose I’m just worried that this whole idea hasn’t been thought through properly, that’s all… Oh, hi Alan… shall we just sit anywhere?

[Alan looks up from his list and smiles weakly, gesturing to the two chairs to the side of him.]

[bright, a bit agitated]

I mean, I know exactly what you mean… You saw the floor plan at the last meeting. How are we going to fit everybody in? I tell you, complete chaos from start to finish.

That’s why I wanted to be on the steering group from the start… I hoped I might be able to have some input into the way it was all going to work but now I’m not so sure …

[Michelle comes into the room with a sheaf of papers and sits down at the end of the table … smiles briefly at the others and starts to organise herself.]

[to Mark]

People have stopped me in corridors and asked me what’s happening and I feel bad because I really can’t tell them anything useful…

All I know is that it’s going to take me 15 minutes longer to get in to work every morning … Parking over that side of the building is just dreadful … [keeps talking with Louise]

[Marcus comes in looking at his watch…]

Hi everyone… so sorry…am I late? It was 10 we were due to start wasn’t it? Right, I suppose we’d better get started, we’ve got a lot to get through. Does anyone know where Grace has got to?

No.

Oh well… OK, everyone… We’ll make a start then…

[The chat around the table dies away.]

Thank you for coming this morning. I know you’re all very busy, but it is an important meeting as we have to agree the schedule and the layout for the office move to Chevely buildings in six months’ time. I have put a sort of agenda together for the meeting [looks at his papers] and I do hope that you can stay until lunchtime.

[Distributes agenda.]

Right… well, as you know, the date for the move has been set, so all we have to do is to sort out a plan of how we’re going to organise it all… finalise seating arrangements, special needs, IT requirements, things like that.

Well, if it’s anything like the consultation period’s been so far, it’s going to be a nightmare…

[ignoring Mark]

I’ve asked Alan along today to facilitate our meeting, to prevent it descending into the usual chaos! He’ll help us make these very important decisions… eh Alan?

Hi everyone… my role here today is to support you in…

[ignoring Alan]

… and if, Louise, you could take the minutes for us as usual?

Ok… let me just find some paper… [looks in her bag]

[interrupting]

Has everyone had a chance to look through the plans for the proposed office layout? Not that you can tell an awful lot from a floor plan, but as I’ve said all along, in my opinion there is just not enough space in this building for all of us. Quite apart from it being ‘open plan’, which isn’t the way most people like to work, by the way, everybody’s just going to be squashed together in there like sardines...

Well, it’s all been designed using the up-to-date health and safety guidelines. So, I mean, there’s plenty of room, it’s just that we’ll all use it a bit differently that’s all. I mean, I’ve been trying to say, more people now have been working from home and on flexi, so I actually think that hot-desking is the perfect solution to our office space problems. I mean, what’s the point in having acres of office space and people not using it day in, day out?

It does throw up some interesting issues though. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to speak privately to staff unless you book a meeting room. I can’t say I’m 100% happy about everyone hearing what I have to say to people.

That’s it. You see, you just can’t work crammed in like that… I’ve said this before, we need our space. We need to have our books around us, a place to think… we can’t just plug in anywhere.

Mark, you won’t be expected to. You don’t work part time, you don’t work flexi, so you’ll have your own section. I really can’t see what all the problem’s about.

How can I get this through to you? I mean, can’t everybody see just how unworkable this thing is going to be? Louise, what do you think?

Err… well, it’s not ideal, I know…

Can I just interrupt here for a second…

[Grace comes in on the phone.]

… it all turned out ok in the end though…. Yeah… yeah… I know, I know. Sorry, can I just squeeze in here? [to phone] Look, I’ve just got to my meeting and… yeah, ok… lunch… see you later, bye. What have I missed? Sorry… urgent call… you know how it is…

We were just discussing the implications of open plan on the staff …

Oh, that old thing again. Haven’t missed anything at all then! Carry on.

Actually, I think we need to get back to our agenda. It’s pointless discussing things that have already been decided.

[looking at the agenda]

I agree. Now, look, I see here that we’re to discuss the potential impact of our move on our overall work rate. Now, I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time. And I think if the actual physical move takes place over the weekend, then the impact on the department will be reduced considerably. I suppose there’s always a problem with people taking holidays, of course, and I do think I’ve actually got someone on maternity leave then as well.

I think Estates have already got most of this all in hand. What they’ve asked us to look at primarily is special requirements for staff in individual teams… you know, specialist IT equipment, chairs, ergonomic keyboards, things like that. The purchase order needs to go in by the end of this month and it needs to be passed by them first.

[interrupting weakly]

Perhaps we could go around the room and see if anyone has anything they’d like to discuss or bring to the table?

[looking up from the phone for a second]

Not from my team. When is the move date again?

It’s been pencilled in for the first week in August. Now, IT have confirmed that most of our requirements are already logged and been taken down, but you know what they’re like… we order it, they say no, then we have to rethink everything. So I think we just need a little bit of extra input with the draft plan to make sure that we’re as prepared as we can be. So here we go, I’ve already started working on it already. All I need you guys to do is have a look at the details and then ok it and we’re good to go.

[quietly]

Excuse me… I’m so sorry, but I thought that’s what this meeting was all about. To discuss how it’s all going to work. I mean, if everything’s been planned already, is there any point to us all sitting round here talking about it?

Sorry Louise, I did say draft plan. Of course I did expect that we’d talk about it a little bit.

[prickly]

Even so, it certainly does seem to imply that decisions have been taken without consulting the rest of us.

[defensively]

Sorry. All I’ve done is put together a few basic ideas. You know, if at the end of the day, if this isn’t done on time, we’ll get the blame for it and I certainly don’t intend for that to happen.

Look, it’s just staff are feeling a little helpless at the moment and it certainly doesn’t help matters if ideas are bulldozed through which we have had no part in discussing.

[offended]

Bulldozed!

I don’t think Mark meant that by saying…

[crossly]

Sorry, if you think that being prepared and putting together a few ideas in advance is bulldozing, then I’m really sorry…

[Louise looks worried.]

Alright, I didn’t mean bulldozed.

So what did you mean then?

[interrupting]

There is a general feeling that people’s views are not being taken into consideration. There are issues about parking and the hot-desking situation, which doesn’t suit everyone it has to be said…

No, no, you’re actually quite right. The hot-desking… how can you work effectively when you’re being moved pillar to post every working day?

We did all agree to be part of this steering group because we wanted a say in how things are handled… so to hear that there is a draft plan already drawn up with IT is a little disconcerting Michelle.

[under her breath, still texting on her phone]

Don’t know why you expect anything else…

Perhaps if we could just get back to the point…

There needs to be a plan, of course… but to hear that it’s already been decided…

[raising voice]

Hello. Sorry. Can I just say once and for all, all I’ve done is put together a draft plan. Nothing’s been decided. For goodness sake, all I’ve done is pencil in a few dates and put together an IT plan. We can’t just sit around waiting for committee to make the decisions. Things need to be organised, things need to be decided and booked.

[struggling to regain control]

OK. Well, why don’t we just stick to that and let’s get back to the agenda? Michelle, your draft plan…

Yes.

Could we possibly see the proposals for that?

Yes. Of course. It’s all here. The important section is on page 3.

[as an aside to Mark while papers are being handed out]

Oh, while we’re here Mark, can I pick your brains for a minute about the latest brochure print? I’ve just had an email from Alice and we really need to get out copies to the team.

I thought Becca had spoken to you. We’ve decided to hold off until after the date of the move has been finalised. It’s just there’s no point sending stuff out with the wrong details on, all it will mean is that we’ll just have to put stickers on everything.

We’ll just have to make do for now I suppose. When do you think we’ll get it now then?

[Grace’s phone starts to ring. She answers it.]

Whenever the final date is decided on I suppose.

Sorry… urgent call… Hello? Yeah, look, I’m in a meeting at the moment, can I call you back? What, now? Yeah ok. Yeah, alright, I’ll be right with you. [getting up] Sorry everyone, urgent call. Must dash. Let me know what happens and I’ll catch up with you all later.

[Grace goes out.]

Right. Well, shall we carry on then?

[obviously annoyed]

There doesn’t seem to be much point, does it? We’re not all here. We can’t do anything without Grace’s input.

Maybe we’d best reconvene at a later date… perhaps next Tuesday?

[timidly]

I’m off on leave next week I’m afraid. Would it be alright with everyone if we made it the week after?

Oh for goodness sake. Look, I haven’t got time to sit here comparing diaries. When you’ve all got time to make decisions, please, let me know.

[Michelle gathers up her papers and walks out.]

Erm… Looks like we’ve got something to sort out then… shall I just wait for an email?