On the dot if I can.

Usually as soon as Teams notifies me of the first person starting the meeting.

How can you not always be the first when youre 5min early, wtf xD

I join at exactly the designated time. If you wanted me there five minutes earlier, then schedule the meeting five minutes earlier. Don’t jerk me around with some expectation that I’m going to do anything other than what you asked for. Also, most of the folks I work with tend to be booked with lots of back to back meetings; so, no one is showing up early anyway. We all show up at the designated time and anyone late can catch up when they show up.

The “early is on time” mentality makes some sense for physical meetings and appointments. For virtual meetings, it just demonstrates that the person has no understanding of how technology works.

One to two minutes late to most meetings. I don’t have time or energy for the BS of “How are you” etc. Let’s get down to business.

Caveat is that if it’s with a VIP I’ll be exactly on time.

I join at the exact time it starts. If I join earlier, I may get pulled into unnecessary small-talk platitudes that are like nails on a chalkboard to my depressed-as-shit self.

My workweeks are 25 to 50% meetings, the vast majority online. I try to be exactly on time as much as possible, can’t afford to be in advance, will notify if I will be more than 3 minutes late. I send a message to participants if they are not all here after a couple of minutes, not to put pressure, but I know it’s easy to be concentrating on something and miss the meeting, it happens to me as well.

My first meeting working in a fully-remote job, I joined a Teams meeting with the whole team (~8 people) 5 minutes early. I wasn’t the host, of course.

People were (invisibly) giving me the side eye.

I soon learned that starting the meeting makes a popup appear on everyone’s screen saying that the meeting started…and also that a lot of people regularly have back-to-back meetings and can’t leave early. (This was mid-pandemic, shortly before it became the norm to end meetings before the hour)

After that, I started joining all virtual meetings either second (by clicking the pop-up that someone else started it), or before XX:01 (or before 1 minute after the meeting time).

In-person, I’ll still show up to the meeting room 5 minutes early, or 15 if it’s a slow day. But do that too often and people think you’re useless, lol

I like arriving early for small talk, instead of having the rushed small talk when the meeting is “supposed” to begin.

Join on time to virtual meetings. If you are hosting or setting up a room, then you can join a bit early. If it’s a large meeting like a company or division wide one maybe even join a minute late.

Waiting around on an empty zoom is a massive waste of time.

1 min early, or right on time. Never late.

I join anywhere from a few minutes before to a few minutes after, and if I don’t want to chit chat I hit the little “coffee break” status and stay on mute.

FWIW I do virtual meetings daily due to 100% remote work.

Exactly on point, because there’s always people early or late. This way I neither have to start it nor be embarresed to be the last.

Also:

A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to

1-5 minutes late

If it’s a customer meeting I’ll join 30 seconds early. If it’s an all hands or has big wigs in it then I’ll join 10 seconds early. Smaller internal meetings I can be 10-300 seconds late.

Whenever I remember there is a meeting on. Have to keep those damned outlook 15min reminders on screen or I will forget