Am I being unreasonable or is my boss?

[NumTumDeDum]

I work at an animal park and every time I'm about to have a tea break my boss radios me asking me to do something. He expects me to have it done on my return from break and radios me just as I'm finishing to check up on me. It's almost as if he's watching me and times his requests just to ruin my tea and biscuit with my colleague Kip.

Is it an attempt to undermine my autonomy? After all, I've been doing this for some time and I know what I need to do.

I've started taking longer and longer breaks in response to this behaviour, although I do always do what he wants, eventually. Am I being unreasonable or should I tell my boss to stop bothering me on my tea breaks?

[FunkyBoldRibena]

Paid breaks or not?

[VroomOnTheBroom]

"Hi Boss, I'm just having my break now but I'll start it in ten minutes and it should be finished in twenty minutes' time, hope that's ok. I'll speak to you then."

Does he think you shouldn't be taking breaks? If you're entitled to them, you may as well let him know and give him a start and end time for the task so he doesn't feel he has to chase you for it.

[Emstheword]

I wouldn't think its worth mentioning, but I would just say "yes, on my way as soon as I finish my break" and nothing else. Your boss my them get fed up of asking. I would only bring it up if you can do it lightheartedly.

[Emstheword]

*may then

[VroomOnTheBroom]

Waaait a minute, this is something to do with a tv show, isn't it? Kids or grownups, OP?

[VroomOnTheBroom]

It's just the name Kip. Who's called Kip these days?

[Familyguyfan]

Do you have a cat? Do you fly around the world on your breaks in a glorified golf cart called the kit-mobile? Have you also worked at the Natural History Museum?

[morethanacondiment]

Have you noticed that your boss sounds kinda familiar..?

[NumTumDeDum]

I do have experience of working at the Natural History Museum which is why I feel my boss is micro managing me.

[Patilla]

I think that it's important to get to spend time with your colleagues, especially those with expertise that you might want to branch out into such as inventing.

[motherofmonster]

to be fair though, you do seem incredibly shite at your job.

[administrator]

You don't knock about with Biff and Chip do you?

[OTheHugeManatee]

It depends. If your boss is slowly abducting all the animals in order to turn them into hybrid mutants then YANBU.

[tshirtsuntan]

But you're always a bit rubbish at the natural history museum,aren't you?

[NumTumDeDum]

I take exception to that tshirtsuntan. It is never ever my fault and I always retrieve the situation.

[rookiemater]

Oh lord is this one of these "funny" threads.

[BlairWaldorfHeadBand]

To be fair, I've noticed when your boss asks you to build a nest you pick one leave out of your hair and smugly tell him that it's sorted.
No Fatima, it's not.

[Hellohellohowareyou]

Blair beat me to it but I was just about to ask whether you look like a male Fatima whitbred?

[hellohelloididntseeyouthere]

When you were at the natural history museum did you get away with a lot because your boss was terrifyingly unobservant?

[pluCaChange]

I think you did the right thing, quitting the animal park for the museum. Your new colleagues seem so much more suppportive.

(So, how long till you ask Hattie out for a drink?!)

[HappyYoni]

I don't get it?!

[thinkfast]

You said on your cv that your prior job was with the national history museum. Now you say it was the natural history museum. Are you sure you weren't stretching the truth a bit

[JassyRadlett]

Come clean: didn't you leave your last job due to the escalating sexual tension between you and your boss, and not the fact that she left all preparation until the last possible minute?

[QuickQuickSloe]

I think you need a little give and take here. You return to work after your breaks in various muddy states and your boss never says a word.

If you start sticking rigidly to the rules don't be surprised when he does too!