Are you a committee person or do you avoid them like the plague?

yggdrasil

I am chair for our U3A committee. There are time limits on how long people are allowed to be on the committee or hold an office.
Our problem is getting people to come and participate. Our Secretary had done the job for longer than should be due to covid, but has to be replaced at he next AGM.
If we don't get someone to stand up, the U3A will have to fold. And that would cause a lot of complaints from those who wouldn't help.
I am only chair because the same situation arose 2 years ago. I said I'd do one year, it has been 2 and looks like I will have to do a third.

I've sent a PM Yggdrasil.

When i walked out with my friend nanna8,
my parting shot was i am off to get my gas mask and tin hat.
My friend was in hysterics,and good on your friend,these twats need telling.

Committees and meetings are not for me. I like to get things sorted quickly but there are always faffers who don't listen then want everything explained again.
I have to attend meetings occasionally but always find that what is agreed on takes twice as long as needed.

I was on many committees when I was working often they were meetings about meetings where few decisions were made and the Agenda never entirely got through. When I first retired I was a Trustee on a number of different charities and the experience was even worse than the meetings I attended at work, no structure, no plans no forward thinking. That was enough for me and no definitely would not volunteer my time on a Board again!

I know what you mean with PTAs. I went to one and they spent 30 minutes discussing how the children should fold their lunch bags. That particular committee were a right lot of dickheads,and I left and never returned. A friend of mine was on the same one and she made me laugh because she stood up and told them they were all boring. She was totally right but I wouldn’t have been game to do that.

I was on the PTA in the infant school my son`s attended,i sayed on it for a short time,approx 6 months.
Never again,i have never been in a room with so many little Hitlers in it in all of my life.
Lesson learned.

For years, I was on committees, usually political or human rights. Secretary of this, chair of that and eventually on the Borough Council. When I retired 20 years ago, I left all that behind me and in a way I really missed it, but, on the other hand, I was happy to be able to say 'no' when I was asked if I would like to take on yet another post.

All of the above. I’ve had enough of committee meetings to last me a lifetime! Avoid like the plague!

I joined a social club committee my goodness could the chairman be more useless.
Everytime someone proposed a great idea he shot it down in big flames.
Next month he suggested the same idea but worded differently.
I managed 2 years never again will I join a committee.

I’ve never been on one, but a BiL and SiL both have, with a LOT of voluntary work involved - and sad to say, both eventually resigned because of all the bitching/sniping/pettiness.

I am chair for our U3A committee. There are time limits on how long people are allowed to be on the committee or hold an office.
Our problem is getting people to come and participate. Our Secretary had done the job for longer than should be due to covid, but has to be replaced at he next AGM.
If we don't get someone to stand up, the U3A will have to fold. And that would cause a lot of complaints from those who wouldn't help.
I am only chair because the same situation arose 2 years ago. I said I'd do one year, it has been 2 and looks like I will have to do a third.

I used to be on a number of them when working, as others have said, a lot depends on a firm chair (not to sit on)! I used to get fed up with people who hadn’t read previous minutes, or other essential material, so kept dragging up items already sorted or didn’t know the history. Not for me now thanks.

Oh dear!!! About three years ago, I actually told people that I was not going on any committee, ever again, for any reason. I was just going to be one of the 'little people' in the future.

Was keeping to it, then I moved and then Lockdown ensued!!!!

So, when my the residents association asked for more volunteers to come onto the committee towards the end of last year, I was so bored that I put my name down. Ended up doing the role of Secretary -additionally, I have somehow found myself as Vice Chair of a new local U3A group which was set up during Lockdown.

My AC all laughed when I told them I was Secretary and then admitted to me that they had been having bets as to how long I would live here without being on the Residents Cttee!!!!

I avoid committees these days but I was a school governor for 22 years. The best meetings were when I was Chair of Governors. Can’t be doing with waffles, people who want to re-open discussions, who have nothing new to say but like the sound of their own voice. I nearly volunteered mat a local school as my main strength lies in interviewing and appointing staff but then I remembered the meetings.

I am only on one committee now and its fairly easy going. I do dislike it when people go off at a tangent and then the meeting drags on. I'm usually the one who brings things back to the point. I agree with Ginny there are one or two people who actually do the practical work and others who have ideas but are not prepared to carry them through.

I love a good committee--- but only if I'm the Chairperson :-)

A chairman who controls the meeting, shuts down wafflers and sums up the decisions, a tight agenda with time allocated in advance to each item, and a fixed end time make a massive difference I think. I enjoy a productive meeting, but resent wasting my time - Zoom meeting are good because if they aren’t well managed at least I can turn the camera off and do something else at the same time.

I have been on lots of committees but find they are only as good as the chairperson. Two I can think of were tough but truly made a big difference.

I liked to take minutes as I was always super careful to take them correctly and though thus made them a bit longer it also meant the smaller voices were recognised.

I am not on any committees now. It would have to be something I was truly passionate about to tempt me back.

I've always avoided but recently, another employee that I really like and hold in high esteem started a small committee for a recurring event at school and asked me to join. I agreed, because it sounded like a great idea and I have a lot of respect for her.

There are only a few of us and due to covid, our first meeting was via Zoom. It only lasted 30 minutes, but my god, the AMOUNT of stuff we got done was phenomenal. So I guess really, it all depends on who is on the committee.

I have been on numerous committees over a life time. They are no different from normal life, some work well, some do not.

Apart from that Ginny sums it up very well.

I am on 2: school governor and choral society.

Can cope with them when they are tightly run by the chair, which applies to one of the above but not the other!

I have been on several and am still on a couple.
I have found the same on each one.

There is a nucleus who get the organising done and do the bulk of the work.

The ones who get themselves on the committee because it looks good on their CV.

The ones who know just what needs doing and how it should be done but never do it.

The ones who complain about everything the committee does but are of course too busy to think of joining or helping out. They do however seem to enjoy the fruits of everyone else’s labours.

I used to be on PTA and school governor committees, also for the scouts. I was treasurer for a church based organisation.

Used to enjoy them, and look forward to going and seeing people, and helping at events.

Not on any now and don’t want to be.

Think I’ve got rather selfish in my retirement, don’t want to be tied to doing things. It seemed different when I was helping on things for the children.

In my younger days, I enjoyed being a parent governor, teacher governor and PTA secretary, besides helping to front a campaign fighting school closures, which led to a meeting with Kenneth Baker! Exciting!

Before retiring, I was a committee member for a musical theatre company and now I’m the Membership Secretary for Toads Theatre Company, here in Torquay. I just enjoy the discussions and banter whilst hoping I’m doing something useful.

On the other hand....in clubs like bridge and tennis etc etc there are those who complain about the running of the club but NEVER volunteer to go on committees, which is is wrong IMO.