Humor Fridays - The Meeting Tetris Manager
(Or, How to Work a Full Day Without Accomplishing a Single Thing)
Monday–Thursday: Research-based insights, sharp commentary, and practical tools for building real cultures of integrity (not just performative ones). We’ll cover what works, what doesn’t, and how to lead with both ethics and effectiveness.
Fridays: We take a breather with Humor Fridays, a weekly look at the comedy of workplace life. Think satirical memos, absurd policies, and workplace mysteries ("Why is this training module 97 minutes long?")
I’ve worked in and with organizations that genuinely care about doing the right thing, and I know good culture is possible. But I also know that it’s important to laugh.
This is not about cynicism. It’s about honesty, humanity, and maybe a little comic relief after a long week of back-to-back Zooms and “quick pings.”
Subscribe if you haven’t already: https://davidblourie.substack.com/subscribe
Because culture matters. And sometimes, it’s also funny. Here’s today’s post:
Every workplace has one. The Manager Who Schedules Meetings. And attends them. And thrives in them. They’re not here for deliverables. They’re not here for measurable impact. They are here… for meetings.
Endless, cascading, back-to-back meetings. Meetings about meetings. Pre-meetings to prep for the meetings. Follow-up meetings to debrief the meetings. Emergency meetings to reschedule the canceled meetings.
And they love it.
They treat your calendar like a fast-paced game of Tetris, cramming 30-minute “alignment touchpoints” and “cross-functional huddles” into every available space of daylight, as if they get paid in Outlook notifications.
Real productivity? Actual work? Please. That’s for amateurs. This person’s whole job involves scheduling meetings, attending meetings, and speaking just enough to appear busy: “Let’s level-set on that.” “I’ll take that offline.” “Great energy on the call, everyone.”
By 5 p.m., they’ve produced no real results but wear the smug, satisfied look of someone who’s just completed a corporate marathon filled with nothing but calendar invites. Meanwhile, you’re staring at your untouched to-do list, wondering: “When exactly am I supposed to… you know… work?”
But that’s the genius of the Meeting Tetris Manager. They have hacked the system. If they stay in meetings all day, they never actually have to produce anything.
And if you ask when the real work is supposed to happen? They lean back, squint their eyes with grave concern, and say: “Good question. Let’s schedule time to unpack that.”
And just like that… your last free hour of the week is gone.
To be fair, they’re not trying to ruin your day. They just genuinely believe the secret to success is… more meetings.