Huddle Shudder

Too good to last, the Morning Huddle hiatus since February.

The bosses have been too dispersed and lonely, it seems; schmoozing opportunities are no longer a few steps from their office doors, as in all the years past. And likely, a meeting still needs to go on "Accomplishments" lists for their performance reviews.

To kick off the new cycle, we first had to have a meeting on the subject: Having Meetings. There was nothing to discuss, so the manager filled time by reminding us the group will move offices again, in about three years.

Although this has long been the plan, and I will be retired long before it happens, I can only hope some newer topic can be found during my remaining months. Even if executive decision was for this Huddle incarnation to be held weekly, not daily, I am concerned it will become the weekly Three-Year Plan meeting.

Actually, the boss did have one other topic to raise: Simone Legree's group combine birthdays into a once-monthly party, and do we want to join them. Dead silence, until the woman whose default conversational tone is an annoying one-note snarkiness said, "Why don't we just keep it the way we have it."

Another week, another meeting: the boss announces, "We will celebrate with Simone's group." Poor babies; I avoid all of this stuff, but the co-workers will now have their party taken over. Simone is so much like my previous supervisor, Cruella, in braying for attention and giving the stink-eye to anyone not important enough to be fawned over.

My big complaint is that the Huddle is no longer a few minutes of standing in a doorway, waiting for it to end: it's newly sit-down, around a conference table. Where I used to slip back to my desk as the official part ended and the gossip began, now I'm trapped into staying through the latter, which is this group's real objective.