Here's why you should not schedule an 8 am team meeting

How to deal with the unusual demands of a manager who’s an early bird and other workplace dilemmas affecting your career

The head of sales promotion wakes up at 5.30 am, and is behind his desk, churning out emails at 7 am, even during the lockdown. He also holds weekly 8 am Monday morning all-staff meetings. I’ve noticed some team members dragging themselves into the office by 7.30 am. Should I speak to the boss and risk losing his regard or accept that I will lose my staff?

It is absolutely unreasonable for your boss to expect work before 9 am. Though he may not be setting that expectation explicitly, he does it implicitly with all his 7 am email peacocking. His personal preferences for early hours should not be company policy. An 8 am meeting is not necessary unless we’re talking about the medical profession.