Rescheduling
Changing a confirmed event to another date and time, an everyday scheduling act in business.
Rescheduling means changing a confirmed event to another date and time. In Japanese, the loanword “risukejūru” (often shortened to “resuke”) is used every day in business. No matter how carefully an event was arranged, a certain share of events get rescheduled. Rescheduling itself is unavoidable, but its frequency and how it is communicated shape trust.
Main causes of rescheduling
- A higher-priority matter comes up
- Management decisions / customer matters cut in
- Illness / family matters
- Sudden events that even the person cannot prevent
- The previous meeting runs over
- A domino effect from a packed schedule
- Delays in preparing materials
- The "it will not be ready, so let's postpone" type
- A participant's plans change
- Business trips / conflicts with other events, and so on
How to communicate a reschedule - etiquette by timing
| When you get in touch | Acceptability | Key points in responding |
|---|---|---|
| 3 or more days before | No problem | Offer 2-3 alternative dates |
| The day before | Some caution | Keep the reason brief. Offer alternative dates right away |
| The morning of the day | Apology needed | Secure an alternative date as top priority and apologize verbally too |
| Just before the start | Damages trust | Add an explanation of the situation and how you will prevent it happening again |
A sample rescheduling request
(2) Thu 6/5 10:00
Habits that structurally reduce rescheduling
- Set buffers (5-10 minutes) before and after meetings
- Recheck before confirming whether each participant is really needed
- Set a confirmation deadline for meetings on a tentative hold
- Every Friday, review the next week’s calendar and reschedule unrealistic meetings in advance
How the receiving side responds also shapes trust
Discussions of rescheduling focus on the etiquette of the person asking, but the response of the person receiving the request affects the relationship just as much. Replying immediately to a rescheduling request and quickly choosing from the alternatives (or sending back your own candidates) builds trust that “this person is easy to schedule with.” Conversely, leaving a rescheduling request unanswered leaves the original slot undecided yet still blocking both calendars, wasting time twice over. Whether you are the one asking or the one receiving, how quickly you handle reschedules links directly to how you are judged as someone to schedule with.