Your Fly Is Down

I’m not sure if there’s a similar warning that women give each other. But, “Your fly is down” is a phrase that no man wants to hear and every man wants to hear.

Yes, if my fly is down, I want someone to tell me. But, I also don’t want my fly to be down.

Let’s talk about virtual meetings.

There was a famous case recently where a man on a conference call was caught in an embarrassing situation. And by “caught” I mean he was broadcasting video of it in a virtual meeting.

Talk about having your fly down.

Let’s set aside, for a moment, the question of why would you be doing that during a work meeting. Uggh. I don’t even want to consider that one.

But, even more innocuous video can start to seriously blur the line between work and home.

Shortly after the United States Supreme Court started hearing arguements via a virtual meeting, they heard something else, not normally shared; a flushing toilet.

Everyone uses the bathroom. And I won’t say how often I’ve muted my headset and slipped off to answer the call of nature. But, it’s more than once.

I was in a meeting this week with members of our cross-company technical team. The project leader, a woman name Laura, works for the client. We had our bi-weekly status meeting. The project is mostly on hold waiting for internet circuits to be delivered to our data center in Oklahoma. If you’ve not been involved in the businesses of leasing internet circuits, you would be shocked how long it takes to get a 10 Gig circuit. Months. A lot of them.

Anyway, the meeting was going to be short, since we are still waiting on the circuits. I joined the meeting first with no video and a muted phone. Several other team members also joined. We chatted about the weather. I’m in Utah, they’re in Oklahoma. (Just not in the same town as our data center.)

And then Laura joined the call. Laura’s phone was muted, but her camera was live. Laura was taking the meeting in bed. Pillows stacked up. A modest nighgown. Messy hair and no makeup.

Laura’s video was quickly switched out for a stock photo of her in business attire. The meeting then proceeded as normal.

No one said anything. She had figured out on her own that her fly was down.

It’s a fear we all get to live with now that so many meetings are virtual. and I admit, I worry about it to. I use an external webcam. I leave it turned off. . .and facing the wall. . .and unplugged.

Anything to avoid potentially getting caught with my fly down.

Stay safe

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.

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