Respecting time — Empatyzer comic

Zofia arranges lunch by the laptops to avoid taking the guests’ time.

We’ll eat here, by the laptops. We won’t take half their day.

At the laptops? We won’t even have time for a proper conversation.

The meeting runs efficiently but Karim sees cold haste.

Efficient. We are respecting their time.

It looks like we want to get rid of them as fast as possible.

A WEEK LATER

Let’s have a proper meal first.

Are we ever going to get to business?

Zofia and Karim compare two definitions of a good host.

To me, a good host saves the guests’ time.

And to me, a good host deliberately gives them time.

At the next meeting they ask guests which rhythm they prefer.

NEXT TIME

Would you prefer a quick working lunch or a relaxed meal and business afterwards?

We don’t have to guess for them.

Zofia shows respect by moving efficiently through the agenda and taking no more of the guests’ time than necessary. Karim shows respect in the opposite way: he slows down and demonstrates that the guests are worth his time. A short meeting can look professional or cold, while a long meal can feel hospitable or wasteful. The simplest solution is not to guess, but ask the guests which rhythm they prefer.