To refuse to follow boss' orders whilst on maternity leave?

[NoThatIsNotConvenient]

Have nc'ed for this as I'm pretty sure at least 2 of my colleagues are AIBU regulars!

Basically I am currently on mat leave and have been for a few months, still got a few months to go before starting work again. I have visited work a few times with baby and am normally on good terms with everyone including my boss.

However...I was in charge of a project earlier this year where we received some funding from a charitable organisation to go towards the project. I applied for the funding myself on behalf of the company I work for and had to go through a pretty rigorous process to get it. This was all on top of my normal duties. The project went well and I was told that I'd be contacted by the charity to tie up all the financial stuff afterwards, i.e. sorting out the accounts and proving I spent the money correctly.

However they didn't get in touch before I went on mat leave, despite me telling them when I was finishing work. I have been emailing the 2 people who set up the charity grant to ask for the forms I needed to fill in but had no reply so was unable to do the work. I then got an email today from my line manager (cc'd to the big boss) to say that I need to do the work tonight and give it to her tomorrow to send on to the charity as apparently someone else at the charity has just discovered the paperwork is incomplete and is panicking, but it's totally blaming me for the delay despite me keeping her in the loop throughout the process. The email also insinuates that I have lied about getting in touch with the charity (I have been calling/emailing my 2 contacts but only found out today that they have both left and not set up automated phone/email responses to that effect - so there was no proof on the charity's correspondence that I have been in touch when my boss called to check up on me.) I do have phone records and emails I could show her to prove I am telling the truth but she doesn't want to know.

The annoying thing is that I have done the work and sent it off to the charity, but because it was addressed to the name of someone who no longer works there, it's got lost. I did it by hand as it was annotating print-outs of bank statements etc.

The charity have apologised to me and agreed it's farcical and have given me more time to re-do the work but my boss has said (within the email) that she wants it all completed tonight and sent to her by tomorrow morning.

AIBU to refuse to do this? I really resent being made out to be disorganised and a liar (especially when the big boss is copied in) and also think a 1 night deadline is unreasonable for someone on mat leave. If I am being U then please tell me - examples of good responses to this email would also be appreciated!

[claudedebussy]

well done! i think that was absolutely the right thing and it worked out well.

[Dackyduddles]

Glad ok. Big boss sounds sensible.

Watch middle boss carefully.....

Good luck with birth x

[AndHarry]

Great outcome, thanks for updating :)

[phantomnamechanger]

I'd love to have heard the convo between big boss/HR and your manager - bet they had a right telling off!

[attheendoftheday]

That's great news, always good to have a positive outcome.

Thanks for the update.

[NoThatIsNotConvenient]

Yes I accept I should have photocopied what I did - I was 39 weeks pg at the time so was maybe not thinking as sensibly as I'm normally able to! Totally accept that was a silly thing to forget to do...

Anyway, my boss was surprisingly ok. I spoke to her and basically said what tarka suggested and she just took it straight away and didn't question me. I think that cc'ing in the big boss was not a good idea on her part as she sort of alluded to the fact that they'd told her to leave me alone and don't send emails like that while I'm on mat leave. Also saw big boss in person and they were great. Immediately told me they never suspected it was my fault and even had a laugh at my line manager getting all shirty. Told me to take as much time as I wanted doing it and if I needed then they'd ring up the charity and tell them to stop bugging me cos they're lucky I'm prepared to do it at all whilst on mat leave. They are going to pay me for a KIT day.

All in all a good outcome hopefully!

[Floggingmolly]

Why are you having to do it all again from scratch? If there are no copies of the original work on file I can kind of understand why she assumes you haven't actually done anything to date...
Surely bad record keeping is going to look almost as bad as not doing it at all?

[User838484567]

OP - what did your boss say? Good advice above.

[arabesque]

Send Tarka's email. Also, I would demand a written apology to be placed on your personnel file.

[helenthemadex]

she is out of order, have you heard from her yet?

[RevoltingPeasant]

OP just to say, I'm 23rding Tarka's email suggestion plus the one-liner about how 'I can provide copies of the correspondence I sent to the charity' or sth.

However, please do not do this over the phone -- email her. You need to have this in writing. Do cc HR and even the big boss if you feel comfortable with that.

But fgs don't leave it so that she can put what construction she likes on a verbal conversation.

[Scholes34]

YANBU to stand your ground and not work whilst on maternity leave.

But surely you took a copy of the work you originally did before sending it off?

[scratchandsniff]

What a cow! I'd be fuming. They can't impose deadlines like that on you, you're on mat leave ffs. I'd reply something along the lines of 'this is an unfortunate situation as I did my utmost to contact the people who I had been dealing with at the charity to sort this before I went on mat leave. I was not aware that they had in fact left the charity. Unfortunately I sent all of the forms in by post, and they seem to have been mislaid. If you check my work emails you will see copies of my emails trying to resolve this. I will try to help sort this situation, but as I am currently on mat leave it will have to be at a prearranged time mutually convenient to all'.

[TheDoctrineOfAllan]

YANBU. Hope it works out Ok.

[CreatureRetorts]

Your boss sounds a dick.

Do you have access to work emails? I would forward those on to her.

Also get the charity to speak to her.

Do you have an HR contact? Copy them into correspondence with your line manager.

[Dackyduddles]

Beginnings is also right. In many IT depts there is a process for employees to retrieve emails due to work. Find out.

[Dackyduddles]

Tbh my view having been in hr is that this is what colleagues or cover is for. Once x goes on mat leave or sick or holiday whoever is left sorts this stuff out. Sounds like a very bad cover plan to me, not that that's helpful I suppose than possibly backing up what you feel already.

Tarkas email was good. Kit days can be work from home yes. I would say be careful of how this is handled to protect yourself as this idiot could be contacting you at all points and end up inappropriate. Keep records of contact and diary of verbals. The amount of funny business that starts once mums go on mat leave is shocking.....

[Groovee]

YANBU and your boss sounds like they are overstepping the line.

[beginnings]

Op even of you deleted the emails you sent IT still have them so her accusations will go nowhere.

Don't send in the work until you've agreed to a KIT day ( I did all 10 of mine at home so no worries there) and do let HR know. If you don't have HR, contact ACAS.

By the way, if you do have HR, your manager is in for a pretty uncomfortable conversation. I'd go through her for a short cut.

[claudedebussy]

yanbu and they are being bloody cheeky. stand up for yourself or you'll end up being the scapegoat.

surely this woman can see it's not your fault?!?!?

[hermioneweasley]

It doesn't matter if you "should" have done it before mat leave - you are now on mat leave!

KIT days don't physically have to be in the office, so you could work from home at a convenient time to complete the work. If there is an email and phone record of you contacting the charity, then I would say it's their problem and they will have to wait until you are good and ready!

[whois]

+1 for Tarka's email. Plus you defo need to forward copies of the emails you sent to the boss.

Shame you didn't photocopy everything before you sent it off - I now do that, or scan and email, for anything hand done after getting burnt once!

[fryingpantoface]

Just wanted to say I agree with the others.

Stand your ground

[EagleRiderDirk]

Tarka has it spot on. Just stand your ground. You are on maternity leave, and doing this work outside of KIT arrangements could lead to your maternity pay being stopped. Your boss should have gotten someone else to look at it. Have they not cover in place? I have been someones cover and been covered and have both been expected to figure out what the person I was covering had done and left the fuck alone because I was on leave!

[giraffesCantWearSuncream]

Go and dump screaming hungry baby with a shitty nappy on her new while you do it.