Meetings at Dawn, Email Regrets, and the Petty Power of PTO

Jasmine Carter

You’re listening to You’re Still on Mute—the anonymous call-in show where stressed, exhausted, but still dangerously caffeinated workers finally unmute and say what everyone else is thinking. I’m Jasmine Carter, your host, fellow office survivor, all-around email eye-roller, and—honestly—proud passive-aggressive IM-er.

Laura Simmons

And I’m Laura Simmons, recovering from years of corporate “reply all” disasters and still onboarding every new app my company throws at us. This is your safe place, right? Because nothing’s off-limits here—bosses, jobs, coworkers, inboxes, PTO drama... No judgment, just a whole lot of empathy and maybe some laughs at the chaos.

Jasmine Carter

Every week, we play real voicemails from real people who have officially. had. enough. You know who you are—and honestly, we see you. So let’s get right to it and hit play on some pure workplace ridiculousness.

Laura Simmons

I love this first one, Jasmine. You ever had your boss drop a meeting invitation that just makes you question your entire career path? This caller’s boss scheduled a meeting... at 7AM. On a Saturday. I'm groaning already. Let’s hear it.

Jasmine Carter

Whew, okay—from what I remember, they're like: “Hey, team! We've got a mandatory alignment Zoom at 7AM this Saturday. Don't be late!” Like, what are we even aligning at 7AM, Laura—our bedhead and resentment?

Laura Simmons

Immediately, that’s... that’s criminal. Okay, let’s be real: why are managers allergic to scheduling meetings at normal times? There’s no business objective in the world that justifies waking people up when the sun’s barely clocked in.

Jasmine Carter

I mean, the year my manager kept dropping Friday 5PM “alignment” calls—yeah, “alignment”—it honestly felt like they got a bonus every time I mentally quit. My best-ever move? Just didn’t show up. I would mute my Slack pings, pour a glass of something stronger than coffee, eat takeout on my couch, and if anybody ever said anything I’d be like, “Oh, was that invite for this time zone? Whoops.”

Laura Simmons

Ah, the “timezone confusion” classic. I do think some managers, not all but some, schedule those slots as a test. Like a weird power flex—proving they're working harder than everyone else? Or maybe it’s just bad planning. What do you think, Jasmine—is it intentional, or are people just clueless?

Jasmine Carter

I wish I knew, honestly. Sometimes it feels like a flex, sometimes like they’re so out of touch it loops back around to almost impressive. But 7AM on a weekend? That’s, like... that’s disrespect, not leadership. If you want your team happy, at least pretend weekends exist for people.

Laura Simmons

All right, quick “Mic Check”: 7AM meetings are a hate crime. Real talk, I don’t make the rules—I just ignore the calendar invites. And for anyone still fighting these, solidarity. Next time, ask for “asynchronous participation.” Makes you sound official and gets you out of bed—win-win.

Jasmine Carter

All right, let’s talk about digital disasters. This caller—oh man—accidentally “reply all’d” a venting email... about their boss. To. The. Entire. Team.

Laura Simmons

Oof, that’s the panic-sweat moment. You know immediately, you just nuked your reputation, your work BFF’s loyalty, and probably your chances at that annual bonus—all with one click.

Jasmine Carter

Not one click—accidental missile launch. Listen, I’ve almost been there, but only in drafts. Laura, didn’t you have, like, a typo in a global announcement that became legendary?

Laura Simmons

Oh, it’s worse. I once sent a global memo to thousands—intending to say, “We’re excited to announce a company-wide bonus.” But autocorrect changed “bonus” to “bones.” We got so many memes. And no one’s ever let me live that down. Surviving an email fail? First, don’t panic—second, own it fast. The silence only gets heavier.

Jasmine Carter

I love people who try to “recall” the email, as if the system’s gonna cover for you. It only makes everyone more curious. Like, what spicy content did Laura just vanish from our inbox?

Laura Simmons

“Email etiquette” is almost an oxymoron. Some folks treat Outlook like it’s a group chat—no subject lines, cryptic initials, all that. But venting about your boss with “reply all”? That one, you gotta wear for a while. Just remember, surviving cringeworthy digital mistakes is basically a rite of passage.

Jasmine Carter

I do think, lately, everyone’s gotten lazier. Or maybe it’s that feeling that our inboxes are on fire and no one has the energy for, you know, a full sentence. But dang, I feel for anyone who’s hit “send” on the wrong thing. It’s like psychological warfare, waiting to see who writes back first.

Laura Simmons

My golden rule? If the subject line says “IMPORTANT” or “CONFIDENTIAL,” double-check the recipient list—then triple-check. You’ll lose five seconds, but maybe save your job.

Jasmine Carter

Or at least save yourself from legendary meme status.

Laura Simmons

Last up, PTO: our favorite workplace myth. This voicemail—oh, Jasmine, you’ll love this—calls out a manager who denied their vacation request because “nobody was available to cover,” but at the same time, half the team was WFH and obviously online all day.

Jasmine Carter

Oh my god. It’s always, “Sorry, short-staffed”—as you see three people green on Slack, doing the same “urgent” spreadsheet. I once got pinged—with a Slack message—while I was literally sitting on the beach. The audacity! You’d think they paid for international roaming with how quick they expect a reply.

Laura Simmons

That’s why boundaries matter. I always tell folks to advocate for themselves. Your PTO is your time—like, by definition. If management can’t plan for coverage, that’s not your problem. Burnout is real, and pretending you’re “always online” isn’t a badge of honor—it’s a warning sign.

Jasmine Carter

Let me ask you, Laura: what’s the pettiest PTO story you’ve ever heard? I'm talking next-level drama.

Laura Simmons

Oh, I’ve got one. Someone put in PTO for a whole week, then their boss approved all but one Friday—just so the “metrics would balance.” Like, the world would end if you had nine straight days off. That’s some calculated pettiness.

Jasmine Carter

Wait, unlimited PTO—do we believe it’s a scam?

Laura Simmons

Straight up—most of the time? Absolutely. If you have to ask permission more than twice or get guilt-tripped about “team coverage,” it’s not unlimited, it’s just disguised guilt. Take your days and unplug unapologetically—unless you want to “align” at 7AM, then all bets are off.

Jasmine Carter

PTO: “Please Take Off”—seriously. If your job makes you feel bad for resting, that’s a them problem, not a you problem.

Laura Simmons

All right, Jasmine—time for this week’s “Mic Drop.” The shout-out goes to anyone who’s ever been written up for being 30 seconds late to a Zoom call. If HR comes for you, tell them your WiFi was on PTO too. We stan.

Jasmine Carter

I love it. That’s all for this week’s workplace chaos—keep those stories coming, folks. Go to our anonymous voicemail and unmute yourself, it’s good for the soul.

Laura Simmons

Don’t forget to follow You’re Still on Mute wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a five-star review—unless you’re stuck in a meeting that absolutely should’ve been an email. Jasmine, always a pleasure to vent with you.

Jasmine Carter

Right back at you, Laura. Until next time—stay unmuted, y’all. Bye!

Laura Simmons

Bye, everyone!