7 a.m. Meetings Are Sabotaging Your Career—And What to Do When a Colleague Resents Your Promotion

Is your 7 a.m. meeting actually killing productivity—and your team’s morale? And what if you just got promoted… only to find your former peer now treats you like the enemy? These aren’t just workplace annoyances—they’re critical career crossroads that millions of professionals face daily. A new analysis from workplace experts offers practical, human-centered strategies to navigate both scenarios without burning bridges or burning out .

Why 7 a.m. Meetings Backfire (Even If You’re a Morning Person)

While some leaders pride themselves on early starts, research shows that pre-8 a.m. meetings often do more harm than good. According to sleep scientists and organizational psychologists, forcing team-wide early calls ignores natural chronotypes—biological rhythms that determine whether someone is a “lark” or an “owl” .

“Scheduling a 7 a.m. meeting assumes everyone operates on the same internal clock,” says Dr. Lena Torres, a workplace well-being researcher at Cornell. “In reality, you’re asking half your team to perform complex cognitive tasks while still in sleep inertia—a state linked to poor decision-making and higher error rates.”

Worse, these early calls disproportionately impact working parents, caregivers, and employees in different time zones, reinforcing inequities under the guise of “dedication.”

You Got the Promotion—Now Your Colleague Hates You. What Next?

Promotions should be celebrations. But when you’re elevated over a peer—especially a close colleague—the emotional fallout can be messy. Resentment, passive-aggressive comments, or sudden coldness are common reactions.

Workplace mediator and executive coach Marcus Chen advises against ignoring the tension. “Silence breeds speculation,” he says. “The longer you wait, the more your former peer may feel dismissed or disrespected.”

Actionable Steps for Both Scenarios

For Early Meetings:

Push for core collaboration hours. Suggest a team norm like “no meetings before 9 a.m.” to protect focus time.
Record or delegate. If attendance isn’t essential, ask if you can review a summary later.
Frame it as performance, not preference. Cite studies linking late starts to higher output and fewer errors .

For Post-Promotion Tension:

Initiate a private, empathetic conversation. “I value our relationship and want to understand how you’re feeling.”
Avoid over-apologizing. You earned the role—acknowledge their disappointment without diminishing your win.
Create new shared goals. Invite them to lead a high-visibility project under your new structure to rebuild trust .