Give Back Time

There are a few corporate sayings that really trigger me. But there is one that—with online meetings all day, every day—has been used far too frequently in the recent past:

"I’ll give you back ten minutes."

"Lucky you, we finished early, so I'm giving you half an hour back."

Really?

You are giving me back time?

I don’t think so.

First of all, I realize it’s meant to be friendly. The intent is usually to make meeting participants feel good or relieved.

So why does something nice trigger me?

Because you cannot give time back to anyone. It’s simply impossible.

We all get the exact same 24 hours every day. And ultimately, we are the only ones who decide how we use those hours.

Of course, when we sign an employment contract, we commit to working a certain number of hours or being present at specific times. If we are needed in a meeting, we join and contribute. But that is still our choice—we chose the job, the contract, and the responsibility.

So if a meeting ends early, my day isn't suddenly extended by 30 minutes. I don't magically gain extra time; I simply redirect that time to other work.

Do you see what I mean? No one is giving me anything. Time isn't a currency you can hand out when you finish your agenda early.

My world is completely fine, don't worry. But I do wonder: Does this phrase bother you too, or is there another corporate cliché that triggers you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.