Attending the meetings

[christinson1]

What is the name of your state? Florida

I work for a state government organization. The employee handbook says:

“Each unit requires its employees to attend certain internal and external meetings as part of the employees’ professional obligation. All employees are expected to assume this obligation.”

If a meeting is announced by the unit head then am I obligated to attend that meeting?

 

[Ohiogal]

What is the name of your state? Florida

I work for a state government organization. The employee handbook says:

“Each unit requires its employees to attend certain internal and external meetings as part of the employees’ professional obligation. All employees are expected to assume this obligation.”

If a meeting is announced by the unit head then am I obligated to attend that meeting?

Seems self explanatory.

 

[christinson1]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I could not understand it clearly.

"All employees are expected to assume this obligation.” which is confusing to me on whether I have to attend (i.e., whether the employer can take action on me for not attending).

Furthermore, when I contacted the unit head on whether the attendance is mandatory for a meeting that is announced, the response is: “As to whether the meetings are mandatory or not, please follow the organization’s guidelines about that issue. I am holding the meetings and the expectation is that the members of the unit attend.”

Please help clarify on whether I must attend the meeting (or else the employer can take action on me)

 

[LdiJ]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I could not understand it clearly.

"All employees are expected to assume this obligation.” which is confusing to me on whether I have to attend (i.e., whether the employer can take action on me for not attending).

Furthermore, when I contacted the unit head on whether the attendance is mandatory for a meeting that is announced, the response is: “As to whether the meetings are mandatory or not, please follow the organization’s guidelines about that issue. I am holding the meetings and the expectation is that the members of the unit attend.”

Please help clarify on whether I must attend the meeting (or else the employer can take action on me)

Yes, you must attend the meeting.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Please help clarify on whether I must attend the meeting (or else the employer can take action on me)

You need to be there unless the employer has indicated the meeting optional. The basic rule in employment, including government employment, is that when the employer tells you do something, you need to do it or risk some kind of sanction by the employer. Even if the meeting rule hadn't been expressly stated in the handbook you'd have to attend meetings that the employer tells you to attend.

 

[commentator]

Especially if you are in the earlier phases of your employment with them. If you're off probation they can still write you up and carry you through the disciplinary processes, and believe me, that works as far as eventually, progressive discipline will get you gone. But if you're still a probarionary employee, there, they'll just get rid of you and be happy they've picked out a troublemaker and gotten them out before they got civil service protections. Especially in extremely employer friendly places like Florida, even state government agencies don't really have to follow their own handbooks, and you really have very few "rights" if you want to keep working there.

 

[not2cleverRed]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I could not understand it clearly.

"All employees are expected to assume this obligation.” which is confusing to me on whether I have to attend (i.e., whether the employer can take action on me for not attending).

Furthermore, when I contacted the unit head on whether the attendance is mandatory for a meeting that is announced, the response is: “As to whether the meetings are mandatory or not, please follow the organization’s guidelines about that issue. I am holding the meetings and the expectation is that the members of the unit attend.”

Please help clarify on whether I must attend the meeting (or else the employer can take action on me)

Unless you have a really good reason for not going to the meeting, you go to the meeting. And by "really good reason" I mean either: 1. something that your superior has explicitly said qualifies as an excused absence, OR 2. something that is more important than keeping your job and having a decent performance review. Number 2. varies from person to person. For some, petulant defiance is a good enough reason. For others, being with dying family members would tip the scale. And there are some committed souls that would find a way to attend, even on a stretcher while hooked up to life support machines.

"I am holding the meetings and the expectation is that the members of the unit attend.” is not ambiguous. You might not be fired for skipping a meeting "just because", but not meeting expectations in this area will definitely be reflected on your annual review.

As an aside: have you been evaluated for Aspergers?

 

[quincy]

I think the operative word is “requires” rather than “expects.”

 

[adjusterjack]

Please help clarify on whether I must attend the meeting (or else the employer can take action on me)

I can't believe that you are seriously asking that question. Is this you first job ever, that you were hired for yesterday?

Even if there was nothing in the handbook about meetings and the boss says be at the meeting, you be at the meeting or, yes, the employer can take action "on you" (sic).

 

[cbg]

Yes, you are required to attend the meeting.

The action they can take if you do not is to fire you.

Is this perfectly clear to you now?

 

[christinson1]

So many thanks, for the clear message you provided.

Few more things I wish to share which may help you the situation much better (and may probably change your opinion also on attending the meetings): each semester, I and the employer must sign an assignment of responsibility form which dictates the list of works I need to do, for that semester, as an employee (and this is true for each member in the unit). However, the meetings, or attending the meetings, is not listed in my assignment of responsibility. Also the rule about annual evaluation is “The performance evaluation [annual evaluation] shall be based upon assigned duties and shall consider the nature of the assignments”

One more thing I wish to share: when the Covid was in peak stage and there was a mask mandate, the rule was: “you must wear a mask”. Now, after the Florida Governor banned the mask mandate, the rule is now changed to “you are expected to wear a mask” and many people in the unit are not wearing a mask once the “must” is replaced by “expected” (and we are told by higher officials that it is up to us on wearing mask although they expect us to wear a mask, and the organziation cannot take any action on us if we do not wear a mask). As I said in my previous posting, the same “expected” (not “must”) is used in attending the meetings also: “All employees are expected to assume this obligation [of attending the meetings].”

 

[Just Blue]

So many thanks, for the clear message you provided.

Few more things I wish to share which may help you the situation much better (and may probably change your opinion also on attending the meetings): each semester, I and the employer must sign an assignment of responsibility form which dictates the list of works I need to do, for that semester, as an employee (and this is true for each member in the unit). However, the meetings, or attending the meetings, is not listed in my assignment of responsibility. Also the rule about annual evaluation is “The performance evaluation [annual evaluation] shall be based upon assigned duties and shall consider the nature of the assignments”

One more thing I wish to share: when the Covid was in peak stage and there was a mask mandate, the rule was: “you must ware a mask”. Now, after the Florida Governor banned the mask mandate, the rule is now changed to “you are expected to wear a mask” and many people in the unit are not wearing a mask once the “must” is replaced by “expected” (and we are told by higher officials that it is up to us on wearing mask although they expect us to wear a mask). As I said in my previous posting, the same “expected” (not “must”) is used in attending the meetings also: “All employees are expected to assume this obligation [of attending the meetings].”

sigh...

Go or don't.

 

[cbg]

Doesn't change a word of my answer.

But clearly you think you know better, so go ahead and skip the meeting. Just don't come here whining when you get fired for it.

 

[Ohiogal]

So many thanks, for the clear message you provided.

Few more things I wish to share which may help you the situation much better (and may probably change your opinion also on attending the meetings): each semester, I and the employer must sign an assignment of responsibility form which dictates the list of works I need to do, for that semester, as an employee (and this is true for each member in the unit). However, the meetings, or attending the meetings, is not listed in my assignment of responsibility. Also the rule about annual evaluation is “The performance evaluation [annual evaluation] shall be based upon assigned duties and shall consider the nature of the assignments”

One more thing I wish to share: when the Covid was in peak stage and there was a mask mandate, the rule was: “you must wear a mask”. Now, after the Florida Governor banned the mask mandate, the rule is now changed to “you are expected to wear a mask” and many people in the unit are not wearing a mask once the “must” is replaced by “expected” (and we are told by higher officials that it is up to us on wearing mask although they expect us to wear a mask, and the organziation cannot take any action on us if we do not wear a mask). As I said in my previous posting, the same “expected” (not “must”) is used in attending the meetings also: “All employees are expected to assume this obligation [of attending the meetings].”

I wish you happy firings -- meaning, if you lose your job, you deserve it.

 

[stealth2]

Am I the only parent who told my kids "I expect XYZ to be done by the time I get home," and my kids understood it needed to be done, that it wasn't optional?