Beverages at business meetings? Yay or nay?

[Generic Brad]

I'm coming right out front on this and take the nay position. During the past week I have conducted three meetings that started with splashes coming right out of the gate. Adults spilling beverages all over the conference table and presentation materials. Not "Bring Your Child to Work Day" kids. Nope. Grown ups who should know better.

Hold your water, people. And your coffee. And your Orange Crush.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Gotta have coffee.

Business meetings are tiresome enough. They'd be completely unbearable without coffee.

[Major Nikon]

2. I can't remember ever having a problem with it

In any given week I do about a dozen meetings. We almost always have plenty of space to spread out, so that might have something to do with it.

[Throd]

3. Yay!

[LeftInTX]

4. LOL - I thought this was gonna be about booze

I can't survive any length of time without water. (Bottled water doesn't spill too easily) Most meetings I've been to provide water and coffee.

[Generic Brad]

8. People rarely spill adult beverages

[Kali]

15. !

me too

[HeiressofBickworth]

5. Depends on the meeting

If it is going to last more than 30 minutes, then at least have water on hand. If 30 minutes to 3 hours, then coffee as well as water. If over 3 hours, then food should also be included. If over 3 hours, go home; any meeting over 3 hours is running on bull shit anyway.

Signed,
veteran of long, boring, useless corporate meetings.

[Generic Brad]

10. Try 15 to 30 minute meetings

No one is that dehydrated that they can't make it through a short block of time.

[Lil Missy]

6. I thought you meant alcohol

I worked at a place many moons ago that would have Friday afternoon meetings with a few cases of beer. Once it led to a shouting match/pissing contest, and the meetings went WAAAY longer than necessary to conduct the business.

[kentauros]

7. What about "lunch meetings"?

Or when donuts and crullers are provided in the middle of the table in the morning?

[Generic Brad]

9. Which is worse to clean up? Donut or Orange Crush?

Until people start spilling things like soup or pots of hot melted cheese, I will contain my vexation to beverages.

[mackerel]

11. We all bring our own water bottles to our monthly meetings. I usually don't

take anything with me to our mini-meeting. I bring water glass that has a cap & straw for any meeting longer than 20 minutes.

[Miles Archer]

12. Single Malt Scotch would be nice

I used to work at Cisco Systems. A large part of the reason why 8 hour days turn into 10 hour days and then 12 hour days 6 or 7 days a week is that every week you get added to some new jagoff meeting. You can feel your life melting away as one PowerPoint slide after another flashes up on the screen, providing loving detail over yet another "project" that is never gonna effin' happen.

I would have RISKED your wrath, Generic Brad, if only ONE of my co-workers had the sense to bring in a fine bottle of Glenlivet.

TRUST ME...I wouldn't have spilled a drop.

[Generic Brad]

13. I don't display wrath in real life

Just long suffering pauses.

[Miles Archer]

14. ...

[Major Nikon]

22. Back in the day meetings tended to go much better after a martini lunch

[lovemydog]

16. Yay

And commission someone to draft a venn diagram for further study.

[kentauros]

17. I motion that we have a meeting

to discussion what kind of venn diagram. Then we can motion to have a meeting on how to make said diagram.

[lovemydog]

18. Oh hell yeah.

At the first meeting we'll discuss the various kinds of venn diagrams. I'll take notes (aka make a shopping list).

[kentauros]

19. Is it okay for me to bring my

Kleen Kanteen insulated container filled with healthy, wholesome, natural, city-filtered water?

If not, we can schedule a meeting to discuss containers and whether city-water is healthy and wholesome.

[lovemydog]

20. Sure, the meeting's expanded

to include a roundtable discussion on containers. Maybe we should make it a half-day discussion that includes all department heads?

[kentauros]

21. I don't know.

Seems like we have enough material to cover several days. Remember, it takes at least an hour to present and then discuss each item and sub-item. All bases and goal-lines must be covered!