The Board Meeting

In the workplace there is only one thing more unnatural than being confined with all your colleagues to that tiny spot called the staff lunchroom, and that would be the staff meetings where you are gathered in the boardroom scattered at various long tables all with an unobstructed view of that incredibly cutting edge WHITE BOARD! You are prisoners of odd and usually random groupings which unfortunately makes this situation so unlike any other social function where you might be tempted to alter pre-arranged seating and actually be able to switch the placecards around. There are no placecards so you are doomed to spend the entire 4 hours in the company of many with whom you'd rather not even be on the same bus; small consolation that if you were on a bus you might perhaps have an actual seat while they stand above you hanging on to those bars. The CEO takes you through your paces and when you do get to chat within your small groups it is interesting to note that those who daily try to command every possible situation, continue in that vein as they take over the tables where they sit until theirs is the only voice you get to hear. These monopolizers have no clue as to the meaning of 'shared' conversation and as you try to analyze the data on your agenda it quickly becomes clear that there is nothing 'shared' at all except for this one individual's negativity. Unless this is how you intend to allow your life at work to be you have one of two options from which to choose; Get up and move to another table or simply feign an illness and skip the meeting!