To formally complain on my return to work?

[Seagrassinbloom]

I’m currently on a week earned holiday from my job. It’s a fast paced, busy and very responsible position and I’ve been so looking forward to this break as I have been very anxious in work lately due to sheer overwork and lack of training leaving me feeling quite vulnerable.

On Friday afternoon, sat around the pool relaxing and my phone pings, it’s our work chat group. My manager has taken a photo of the weekly team stats (which are now awful as I’ve been off 10 days and if someone is off for more than a day or two out of our team of 5 everything starts to slide) and he’s written ‘look what happens when people are off!!!!’. I immediately feel annoyed and anxious but don’t respond, I’ve not replied but since this I’ve stewed on it and being honest it’s spoilt my time since. I go home tomorrow and now all I can think of is the huge backlog that I’m probably going to go back to.

How should I handle this? My manager is very unprofessional but no doubt will say it’s just a joke. I don’t find it funny though. He’s the type to become awkward if I complain but I feel if I don’t he’ll keep doing this sort of thing.

Maybe the answer is to leave the group chat and be completely non contactable whilst away.

[TitianaTitsling]

Could you mute this chat while you are away?

[HeyMonkey]

Very unprofessional of her.

You're legally entitled to holiday.

[starfishmummy]

[SteeperThanHell]

It’s a group chat - just ignore it if you’re on leave.

[zzzzzzzz12345]

Agree to mute chat. Unless it’s a work phone, I’d also delete myself from it. Wait til you’re back at work and then explain face to face before you do it. It makes you too contactable in too familiar a context. Claw back professionalism. I wouldn’t complain unless there is any comeback from that action.

[Cherrysoup]

Bang out of order for your manager to do this. Leave the group chat after screenshotting that message. I would have a quiet word with the manager on Monday and tell her you think it was inappropriate and that when you're nt at work, you're entitled to be uncontactable therefore you've left the group.

I've had a couple of messages whilst off, mostly from someone from my department who's moved abroad, otherwise it's been silent.

[Pipandmum]

Yes you should have removed yourself from the group. But why is your team so incompetent that it slides like that? Either there should be holiday cover or your manager is not managing well. I’d use that post as a reason to have a meeting as to how to avoid the team suffering if someone goes on holiday next time!

[bluejelly]

That's so thoughtless of them. But try not to let it spoil your time off. Take it as a compliment!

[PuppyMonkey]

Ignore it this time and make a mental note to turn of all phone notifications when you go away next time. Also make a mental note to send a passive aggressive group chat message about people not pulling their weight when HE goes on holiday next.

[rookiemere]

What those stats show is that your department is understaffed and that's what your manager should be focusing on rather than group chats. I'm bemused why you need a work group- surely work related communication should be done through work email or at the workplace.

I'd leave the group and say that you want any work related messages through work sources so you can use your own device as you choose.

[Lovemenorca]

Formally claim?

You wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Your responsibility to removing /muting yourself from work chat whilst on annual leave

[Someonetookmyusername]

Wtf. Yes complain, you are supposed to have holidays. If the team can't function when someone goes on holiday it's a management problem, and he's the manager.

[Witchinaditch]

I assume he never takes holiday? Just ignore it and be wary of him, but I wouldn’t complain you’ll sound petty

[Buster72]

Why on earth do people engage in WhatsApp work groups nothing but pain can result from it.

Yes your manager is an arse....

[TregunaMekoides]

I would be sorely tempted to reply "yes so imagine what it would be like if I went off with long term stress from not being able to relax and forget about work on my well earned holiday?!"
But probably not a good idea.
Yes, you should have muted it but it was a thoughtless action by your manager and you should flag it when you get back.

[AmIThough]

Your manager is childish in posting it - it's their fault for not managing the team.

But you shouldn't have bothered looking. Mute the chat.

[MsJuniper]

I don't think removing herself from group chat while away is the point. The manager is not only getting at her but making a point to the others so they are fearful/discouraged from taking time off. It smacks of a bullying and unpleasant workplace culture and also of mismanagement if the place cannot function without people taking a normal amount of holiday, and they cannot ensure their stats are able to reflect absence in a constructive way which takes account of absence.

[Nanny0gg]

Yes you should have removed yourself from the group. But why is your team so incompetent that it slides like that? Either there should be holiday cover or your manager is not managing well. I’d use that post as a reason to have a meeting as to how to avoid the team suffering if someone goes on holiday next time!

^^This.

And work chat should be through work channels - ie email.

Whole setup sounds totally unprofessional.

[Ffsnosexallowed]

You should have group chat turned off when on holiday. You can't expect the rest of the team not to use it when someone's on holiday? It's up to manager to sort out cover for annual leave, so the message was a bit odd. I would assume it was directed at the team who are in work - not at you.

[RandomMess]

Why is your manager so incompetent that his team has too much work for staff to take their leave??? That isn't on the team it's on him!

[TheInvestigator]

@Nanny0gg

Move with the times. Every workplace I know now uses whatsapp to communicate. Team chats/office chats etc. It's much quicker and easier for small messages.
Obviously email still used for big items and reports etc. But WhatsApp is great for quick messages and questions.

[Shinysun]

Is it not a bit unprofessional for him to put stats on a group chat? Definitely leave the chat!

[ChessieFL]

My workplace (massive global company) doesn’t use WhatsApp. We do have skype instant messaging for quick messages but that’s only while you’re logged in to company systems. I would have thought that work related chat on a personal device could be seen as a breach of confidentiality or security (it would at my company).

[opinionatedfreak]

In my team we all leave group chat when on leave.

Manager started it.

This message suggests bigger problems though- there should be enough capacity for people to take their leave.

Raise this with manager when you return to work. Perhaps copying in their manager!

[TapasForTwo]

"Every workplace I know now uses whatsapp to communicate."

My workplace doesn't. We don't have any group chats on social media. The company uses Teams and Skype. (Does Skype count as social media?)

There is another way of looking at it. The OP must be very good at her job if the team falls apart while she is away. I wouldn't even give this headspace TBH.