boil down to communicating about the thing that you're planning to do, and describing accurately Yes, effective communication is very important. instead of di

boil down to communicating about the thing that you're planning to do, and describing accurately Yes, effective communication is very important. instead of distorting it based on a certain convention (e.g. if you say that we start at 9 but everyone shows up at 10:30 instead This is a funny example to use directly after emphasizing clear communication, considering how ambiguous "start at" can be. We "start at" 9, but that's very common language with a flexible schedule. If I went home last night with my earliest accepted meeting at 10:30, nobody bats an eye when I roll in at 10:25. Perhaps the words you're looking for are "we don't have flexible hours" or "without discussing it with me first, you must be in the office by X and not leave before Y."