A few weeks ago, a Business School of repute approached me with an invitation to participate in their admission process, asking me to join the panel that will assess the incoming batch of candidates via assessments of case studies.

The email included a link where industry veterans like me could choose a preferred slot from among a dozen scheduled in the weeks to come.

I do believe in giving back, and could find a slot that works for me next month. So, I marked my preference, and got an email response within minutes saying that someone will review the submission and confirm if my preferred slot is assigned for sure. So far, so good.

Then, at 9 am today, I got an email inviting me to attend an orientation for the process which is scheduled in 2 hours! No word on whether or not my chosen slot was confirmed, and a mere 2-hour notice (on a weekend, no less!) to attend what looked like a mandatory part of the process.

Bear in mind, this is a Top 20 business school by any standard, with more than 20 years of experience teaching “management”, including running such a process every year. Also, all the invitees were industry professionals with 5-25 years of experience, volunteering to help out.

No wonder there is a chasm between academia and industry!

Sadly, this is not limited to the world of academia. Across the board, we seem to be rapidly moving towards a new “normal” where professionals do not respect each other’s time. That includes candidates seeking employment, clients interacting with service providers, and even managers engaging with their own team members. And, I for one am not ok with it.

As a result, I politely declined and asked them to de-register me from the process.

Update: Subsequent to writing this post on LinkedIn, the institute reached out to apologize, referring to technical issues and lapses, and reiterating their request for me to join the panels. And I have accepted.