# The "hurry up and wait" phenomenon in the workplace **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurry-up-and-wait-phenomenon-in-the-workplace/985630 "2023-06-16T15:12:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2023, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurry-up-and-wait-phenomenon-in-the-workplace/985630/41 "2023-07-11T05:12:11Z")
I’m in IT working for a huge company. In fact I deal with automated service software so I’ve needed to coordinate processes at the partial-second level. My point is that I’m used to dealing with things ON TIME for my work, but also accustomed to the HUAW situation for my job and company. But I gotta tell ya: The alternative is worse. Wait-then-hurry-up is a lot more irritating because it leaves the attendees, responsible contributors, et al scrambling because they were unprepared for Event X to arrive so early. And that unprepared → Scrambling situation can lead to some critical mistakes, even from professionals who otherwise manage their expertise quite thoroughly. Be thankful you have time to prepare and relax. Then prepare. Then relax. And things go a lot smoother. –G! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2023, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurry-up-and-wait-phenomenon-in-the-workplace/985630/42 "2023-07-11T07:45:13Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > But I gotta tell ya: The alternative is worse. Wait-then-hurry-up is a lot more irritating because it leaves the attendees, responsible contributors, et al scrambling because they were unprepared for Event X to arrive so early. And that unprepared → Scrambling situation can lead to some critical mistakes, even from professionals who otherwise manage their expertise quite thoroughly. Exactly. In a perfect world, everyone would work at a comfortable pace, neither hurrying nor waiting, and finish their job exactly on time. But that requires both perfect timing and no unplanned events - and when does that ever happen? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurry-up-and-wait-phenomenon-in-the-workplace/985630/43 "2023-07-12T22:12:26Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Or someone should get a competent IT dept. I worked at a place if you came off the wired / docked cable the wireless would Just. Not Pickup; you _had_ to reboot your computer for it to pick up wireless once it was already connected at your desk. Word. Our Dell laptops would randomly lock up if you took them off the dock without shutting down, which made the delay even longer. We also had constant issues with projectors not connecting, conference phones screwing up, etc. We spent hundreds of thousands on fancy telecom hardware that would track speakers and turn the camera towards them and all sorts of other cool stuff. Except it took a good fifteen minutes of fiddling before two sites could connect (when it worked at all) and get on with the meeting. We eventually just stopped using it. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurry-up-and-wait-phenomenon-in-the-workplace/985630/44 "2023-07-12T23:00:36Z")
And also, one should always try to have something else they can do. If you’re lucky, it could be knitting or a good book; if you have to pretend to patiently wait attentively, it will probably turn out to be mentally composing filthy limericks about your superiors. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurry-up-and-wait-phenomenon-in-the-workplace/985630/45 "2023-07-12T23:19:32Z")
Bring your tablet / laptop. You can always appear to be working while actually Doping. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurry-up-and-wait-phenomenon-in-the-workplace/985630.md?page=2)