Off the VPN

Are we the only ones sitting in way too many meetings or what? How’s any work supposed to be done if we’re chit-chatting away on daily stand-ups? In this episode of Off the VPN, Allison and Jasmine talk about the overload of unnecessary meetings in the tech world — sharing listener stories and exploring the countless red flags of inefficient workplace practices. Tune in for laughs, advice, and some much-needed reality checks on how we handle our time in the tech world. Spoilers: It could have been an email.

Got a question you’d like answered on the show? Drop us a line at jellyfish.co/offthevpn. And don’t worry! We promise to keep it Off the VPN.

Highlights:
  • Three Stand-Ups in a Day: Can you imagine giving the same status update three times in a single day? Jasmine and Allison break down the absurdity of excessive meetings and discuss how to streamline communication for better productivity.
  • Video On Debate: Should cameras be on or off during virtual meetings? A listener’s hot take sparks a conversation about remote work culture.
  • Micromanagement Overload: Feeling micromanaged by endless check-ins? Jasmine and Allison share a story about a team lead who insists on multiple daily meetings and offers strategies to push back on inefficient management.

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Back from vacation!
(02:24) Today’s topic: Meetings – Why do we have so many?
(04:00) How to decide if a meeting is necessary
(08:33) “No customer will ever buy this feature!”
(10:05) Questioning product development decisions in meetings
(12:49) Being realistic with delivery dates
(14:24) Managing time conflicts in project work
(16:09)  Should cameras be on in meetings?
(21:00) The story of too many stand-up meetings
(25:01) How to handle meeting overload and find balance
(29:59) Evaluating the ROI of long meetings
(31:08) Being conscious of time spent in meetings

What is Off the VPN?

Is bringing up your software engineering salary a dating red flag? How do you strike a balance between career ambition and incendiary burnout? Is it ever okay to hold your code hostage in escrow? Navigating a career in tech raises a lot of tricky questions that aren’t exactly appropriate for the daily stand-up. So let’s take this off the VPN.

In this new podcast from Jellyfish, work besties Jasmine and Allison scour the internet to find the real questions engineers and developers are whispering over drinks and posting about anonymously. Together, they’ll tackle the most troubling of inquiries with authenticity, humor, and absolutely no holding back.