Zoom Meeting on Train

[Essexman]

Is it reasonable for someone to be part of a Zoom meeting on a train?
Chap in GWR First Class today was in a meeting, oblivious to the rest of the coach who may have wanted reasonable quiet so we could work or enjoy the journey.
Another passenger and I spoke to staff who said they couldn't say anything to him and pointed out that train travel is advertised as being able to work as you travel. He was able to work but was making it harder for others.
After 75 minutes and with no sign the meeting was going to end, I had a polite word with him. He terminated the meeting but clearly wasn't happy.
After that the quiet atmosphere in the coach was so much nicer.

 

[tram21]

Is it reasonable for someone to be part of a Zoom meeting on a train?
Chap in GWR First Class today was in a meeting, oblivious to the rest of the coach who may have wanted reasonable quiet so we could work or enjoy the journey.
Another passenger and I spoke to staff who said they couldn't say anything to him and pointed out that train travel is advertised as being able to work as you travel. He was able to work but was making it harder for others.
After 75 minutes and with no sign the meeting was going to end, I had a polite word with him. He terminated the meeting but clearly wasn't happy.
After that the quiet atmosphere in the coach was so much nicer.

As long as they are talking reasonably then its absolutely not unreasonable for someone to do a Zoom meeting onboard, just like anyone could have a phone call etc.

Some intercity train operators have Quiet Coaches for this reason.

I'd say it's probably better to be in Standard class if you are doing this to be fair, but I wouldn't personally ask someone to end a meeting, unless they were talking unreasonably and unnecessarily loud into the device.

 

[Halwynd]

As long as they are talking reasonably then its absolutely not unreasonable for someone to do a Zoom meeting onboard, just like anyone could have a phone call...

It is in my book... rude and inconsiderate.

 

[Essexman]

As long as they are talking reasonably then its absolutely not unreasonable for someone to do a Zoom meeting onboard, just like anyone could have a phone call etc.

Some intercity train operators have Quiet Coaches for this reason.

I'd say it's probably better to be in Standard class if you are doing this to be fair, but I wouldn't personally ask someone to end a meeting, unless they were talking unreasonably and unnecessarily loud into the device.

Unfortunately there's no quiet coach in GWR first class.

I didn't ask him to end the meeting but he chose to do so on knowing that other passengers were being disturbed.

I think it's a question of balance. I wouldn't object to a short phone call but I would to 75 minutes.

 

[Failed Unit]

Would love to know what network he was on. I would get cut off many times In 75 mins

 

[Recessio]

Surely no different to talking to the person opposite you, if they're speaking at a sensible volume?

 

[800001]

Is it reasonable for someone to be part of a Zoom meeting on a train?
Chap in GWR First Class today was in a meeting, oblivious to the rest of the coach who may have wanted reasonable quiet so we could work or enjoy the journey.
Another passenger and I spoke to staff who said they couldn't say anything to him and pointed out that train travel is advertised as being able to work as you travel. He was able to work but was making it harder for others.
After 75 minutes and with no sign the meeting was going to end, I had a polite word with him. He terminated the meeting but clearly wasn't happy.
After that the quiet atmosphere in the coach was so much nicer.

Surely no different to people having a telephone call? To people sat together talking 'loudly'?

Unless it was 'really loud' then i really don't see an issue.

I've been on many a morning intercity train heading to London, and all you can hear are telephone conversations etc.

I actually find it quite interesting, being nosey, listening in to the 'important' business that people are dealing with.

 

[800Travel]

Surely no different to talking to the person opposite you, if they're speaking at a sensible volume?

I agree. This is what I don't understand - people don't have a problem with the conversation you've outlined, so I never get why it is any different on the phone as long as it isn't on speaker and as long as the passenger isn't screaming down the line

 

[Anonymous10]

Ive taken many a work call, relating to donations, aquisitions, loans, staffing ect on trains, so long as at abreasonable volume there is no issue

 

[mikeb42]

Is it reasonable for someone to be part of a Zoom meeting on a train?

It is of course totally reasonable. In the same way as it is for anyone else who feels like it to join in and pass commentary at the same volume as the on-train participant is. Ensure that all the remote participants can clearly hear your remarks on the doubtless turgid banality of the corporate drivel they're all exchanging. Be sure to give them all a run down on the satisfaction or otherwise of your last bowel movement and full details of any medical complaints you might have, particularly any that are particularly gross or disturbing.

This does depend on whether the offender was on speaker or not as on reflection this was an assumption, rather than something the OP stated. If they were, they deserve everything they get. If not, well, it's still deeply irritating if it goes on for 75 minutes but within the limits of what must be tolerated with some grace I suppose.

 

[AlterEgo]

As long as they weren't being excessively loud or on speaker it's reasonable.

 

[RichardAsh1981]

There does seem to be a problem with people who don't seem to understand that Zoom calls may be made on a headset, and instead turn up the speakers on their laptop and shout at the built-in microphone to make themselves heard. On a headset they should not be a nuisance to others.

 

[fandroid]

People having a conversation on a train normally adopt a quiet tone, mainly because they don't want anyone earwigging!

But on a phone or even more so on a video call, they go into a mental state where they cut out their immediate surroundings and imagine they're off the train and in a private room with the other person. The other person usually takes no account of whether their colleague is in a public place or not and just adopts a normal "loud and clear" voice.

It can be really distracting and annoying.

 

[Essexman]

There's a difference between chatting quietly on a train and dominating a carriage talking into a phone or computer for a long period of time.
I try not to use my phone on trains but if I do I keep the call to a couple of minutes, talk quietly and towards the window.
Many people seem oblivious to the impact their talking (conversation but more often phone or computer) has on other passengers.
One of the benefits of first class should be a quieter environment.

 

[NSE]

Yeh I agree with most, providing it’s quiet and respectful. I’ve often done it, usually when I know it’s one I can keep the camera off and sit listening and add ‘nothing from me!’ at the end.

That said, if it’s a juicy meeting where someone’s getting the chop, let’s hear all the drama

 

[Dr Hoo]

I’ve done a Zoom meeting on a train, using a headset and in a single First Class seat. Nobody else seemed to be any the wiser. Plenty of people will probably be watching a film or listening to a podcast on a mobile device. Just not ‘on speaker’.

 

[[.n]]

I've done this loads - I think the key is (oh and hoping the WiFi actually holds up and this works at all!)

a) make sure you're using a headset - I would also say and camera off
b) don't be the main host/speaker (to keep your verbal interactions to a minimum)
c) I've tended to type my contributions where I can (because I've let the other people in the meeting know I am on a train)
d) speak quietly at the same volume you would when speaking to someone who is next to you
e) and actually I would say its better to do this in 1st class than standard I say this as someone who has had to put up with 1st class commuters on a daily basis who are so loud and obnoxious its unbelievable - they can be the most entitled people in the world

 

[185]

Need to encourage people talk quieter, near to a headset or mic. Shouting across a passenger train carriage interfering with the comfort of other passengers is a bylaw offence.

Whilst the railway welcomes business travellers, they aren't any more special than other passengers, especially as the financial proportion they contribute to ticket revenue has dropped significantly in recent years.

 

[tram21]

Unfortunately there's no quiet coach in GWR first class

Yeah... it would probably be more considerate to do an extended meeting in standard class to avoid annoying people!

 

[[.n]]

Yeah... it would probably be more considerate to do an extended meeting in standard class to avoid annoying people!

why is it more considerate in standard than 1st class? - there's actually fewer people to "annoy" in 1st class - and as I've noted that its often the commuters in 1st class who are the loudest on phone calls in any case

 

[Rab Smith]

Still amazed some people haven't discovered earphones. Like a lot of Society nowadays though, they think the rules don't apply to them.

 

[xotGD]

Of course people are going to be on calls on a train. Some social, some work related. If you require quiet for whatever you are doing, in the absence of a quiet coach, wear ear defenders or ear plugs.

 

[Topological]

I have noise-cancelling headphones for trains. That solves the issue.

As others have said, if the person is using headphones to listen to the meeting, and is not shouting, then that is absolutely fine.

I suggest that anyone who wishes to control the noise level around them to the degree that others are stopped from talking may do better driving.

 

[Hadders]

Personally, I think it's inappropriate:

- People normally raise their voice when talking on the phone or on a Zoom/Teams call. It's different to a chatting to someone next to you (although that in itself can be annoying)
- It's often inappropriate to do a business call on a train due to confidentiality issues. Some people's lack of awareness astounds me sometimes

One good thing about getting a commuter train to work in the morning is people know how to behave. It's like a library - no chat, no phone calls, no loud speakers, no screaming kids or stag/hen parties. If someone makes a phone call they normally get a stare from several passengers!

Compare and contrast to weekend leisure train....

 

[bramling]

Is it reasonable for someone to be part of a Zoom meeting on a train?
Chap in GWR First Class today was in a meeting, oblivious to the rest of the coach who may have wanted reasonable quiet so we could work or enjoy the journey.
Another passenger and I spoke to staff who said they couldn't say anything to him and pointed out that train travel is advertised as being able to work as you travel. He was able to work but was making it harder for others.
After 75 minutes and with no sign the meeting was going to end, I had a polite word with him. He terminated the meeting but clearly wasn't happy.
After that the quiet atmosphere in the coach was so much nicer.

Personally, no I don’t think it’s reasonable, but unfortunately isn’t isn’t breaching any rules except in a quiet carriage, so realistically you’re relying on etiquette.

It’s something I get sick of in places. There’s a guy who uses the club room at my rowing club for WFH stuff, and it’s really annoying when you want to go in there to relax. But, again, it isn’t really breaching any rules as such, so it’s hard to say anything. One of these days I will pre-empt it by getting in there first and having some loud intrusive music on, which is one way of making the point, as if the other party starts moaning about stuff then it neatly opens the door to pointing out how their own behaviour can also be seen as intrusive.

 

[Recessio]

- People normally raise their voice when talking on the phone or on a Zoom/Teams call. It's different to a chatting to someone next to you (although that in itself can be annoying)

Personally for me I think this is the key issue - it doesn't matter if they're speaking to someone sat next to them or speaking into a device, it's if they are speaking loudly that matters, especially if the coach is fairly quiet (lowercase q, not a Quiet Coach - I absolutely would ask someone having a Zoom call in a Quiet Coach to move!)

 

[[.n]]

Personally, I think it's inappropriate:

- People normally raise their voice when talking on the phone or on a Zoom/Teams call. It's different to a chatting to someone next to you (although that in itself can be annoying)
- It's often inappropriate to do a business call on a train due to confidentiality issues. Some people's lack of awareness astounds me sometimes

One good thing about getting a commuter train to work in the morning is people know how to behave. It's like a library - no chat, no phone calls, no loud speakers, no screaming kids or stag/hen parties. If someone makes a phone call they normally get a stare from several passengers!

Compare and contrast to weekend leisure train....

Not in my experience - commuter trains in the morning are often the some of the worse journeys I've made (they are the loud important business calls)- in contrast those at the weekend for leisure when they've paid for an upgrade are often better

 

[Bald Rick]

Completely reasonable, as long as the individual wasn’t speaking loudly and wasn’t using a loudspeaker to ‘receive’.

There's a difference between chatting quietly on a train and dominating a carriage talking into a phone or computer for a long period of time.

I think your issue was with his volume, rather than the fact that he was holding a meeting.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

My rule of if thumb is that if you wouldn't do it in a pub or cafe you shouldn't do it on a train. I also think that businessmen on trains do tend to talk very loudly on their phones almost as if they're desperately trying to show the rest of the carriage how important they are.

Telling people who find it irksome to wear headphones is shifting the blame to the blameless; it's the person making the noise who's the problem, not those quietly minding their own business!

 

[bramling]

My rule of if thumb is that if you wouldn't do it in a pub or cafe you shouldn't do it on a train. I also think that businessmen on trains do tend to talk very loudly on their phones almost as if they're desperately trying to show the rest of the carriage how important they are.

Telling people who find it irksome to wear headphones is shifting the blame to the blameless; it's the person making the noise who's the problem, not those quietly minding their own business!

There does seem to be a real issue nowadays with people who lack self awareness. It isn’t just on trains, but in many areas of life, and has got a lot worse since Covid. It’s January, and gyms are particularly full of such people at the moment.

For some reason, some people seem to feel a need to project their business onto others. Had some idiot in the sauna at my gym today, firstly claiming that his £1300 coat had been stolen from a locker. Well apart from the fact that maybe it wasn’t the brightest thing to do leaving an (allegedly) £1300 coat in an unlocked locker, what makes you think anyone else gives a stuff about it? Especially having heard about it for the fifth time, second day in a row.

It probably is easier just to get earphones, though shouldn’t have to.