Reading Tom's Interruptions and the Knowledge Worker post got me thinking about recent interactions with a large consulting firm I talked to. During the first phone conversation with a senior recruiter, she interrupted me to take a phone call on her cell phone. After further discussions I chalked it up as a fluke and agreed to meet with her. During our meeting we were interrupted by another member of her staff informing her of the "important call" she had been waiting for. She promptly excused herself not to return for 45 MINUTES!!! She apologized profusely, but clearly this was an ongoing problem with this person. If I was not enough of a priority to dedicate one hour of SCHEDULED time, then what was it going to be like if I worked for them. Needless to say I am not in discussions with them anymore. Is any call really that important? (baring family emergencies) Do people think it makes them "look" important? As Tom says:

I figure that the cost in time (read money) to the company of an interruption to a fellow employee and me discussing business gets expensive when you consider the down time of the two of us, while one of us takes a cell phone call (or answers an email, etc.).