Many Experiencing Meeting Mishaps

For many, meetings with colleagues have become a little … different over the past few weeks. We’re (virtually) meeting new colleagues that might not be on the payroll, whether they be dogs, dads or babies. But even though fire alarms and fussy kids have replaced cubicle chatter as our background noise on calls, an Office Pulse study of 426 white-collar workers revealed some meeting mishaps you’d probably want to keep off the record.

“A co-worker didn’t realize their microphone was on and started baby talking to their significant other. It was awkward,” a male Millennial from Chicago said when asked what the funniest meeting mishap they’ve experienced recently was.

“My co-worker lives at home and her mother constantly interrupts our meetings to tell us stories about her day,” one female Gen Xer from Toronto said. “We sometimes chant, “Donna’s Mom! Donna’s Mom!” If her mother hasn’t made an appearance during our weekly huddles.”

“During a team meeting, one of the cats of a colleague started giving weird sounds and after hearing it, a cat in another colleague’s home started giving reply in similar kind of sounds, others in our call noticed it and we all cracked up,” a male Millennial from Los Angeles said.

Which of the following has occurred on a call/meeting you were in recently?

Kids really do say the darndest things

When looking at key terms in open ended responses, a few stuck out. Kids were a hot topic in business meetings, appearing in 42 responses. Pets showed up in 25 responses. The terms mute/unmute were in 14 responses- so really, double check that mic button. And finally, while the terms toilet and bathroom were in just nine responses, we think that’s nine too many.

What’s the funniest meeting mishap you’ve experienced recently?

So, if your meetings have been a little quirky and offbeat as of late, just know you’re not alone. In fact, even the Supreme Court experienced a meeting mishap last week: A toilet flush could be overheard during oral arguments.