Just Play Solitaire And Say, “Mmhm,” Periodically

Since I started working remotely, my boss has implemented morning meetings via video chat. Everything he goes over in the meetings is sent out in an email right before, so it’s kind of a waste of time. Still, we met while we worked in the office — without the email sent out — so we meet from home. 

Boss: “Okay! Everybody is here.”

He reads from the email, pausing after each point to allow for questions and comments.

About fifteen minutes into the meeting:

Coworker: “Hey, [Boss], I gotta go. My kids are fighting.”

Boss: “Okay, just finish the email and touch base when you can.”

[Coworker] signs off.

Boss: “Right, so as we were…”

This continues every day for a week and a half; my coworker’s kids always start fighting or someone is at the door or something happens that [Coworker] has to go. [Boss] starts to get suspicious and begins asking different employees about [Coworker]. The next meeting goes as follows:

About fifteen minutes in:

Boss: “So, we should try—”

Coworker: “Hey, [Boss], look, I gotta go. The dog is at the door and—”

Boss: “I didn’t hear a dog.”

Coworker: “Yeah, my mic must have been muted. Look, I gotta go.”

Boss: *Sternly* “[Coworker]. You don’t have a dog, do you?”

Coworker: “Um…”

Boss: “Or kids.”

Coworker: “Well, I—”

Boss: “Sit down.”

He stared at the screen for a while before continuing with the meeting. I knew he wasn’t looking at me and I still wanted to squirm. I don’t know if anything else happened between the two of them, but my coworker hasn’t tried to get out of a meeting since.