To think if you're on holiday, you're on holiday

[JanineStHubbins]

And shouldn't be hassled to work?

Today is the first day of my holiday - the first proper one I've had in three years. Last year I went abroad for a week, but ended up bringing work with me as I was behind on a writing deadline (I work in Higher ed).

I'm on the way to the airport, and just got an email from one of our administrators, telling me I have to set a resit exam paper for a student who didn't turn up for the original paper (and didn't submit coursework) by Friday.

AIBU to just ignore this email? My out of office is on. Advice welcome, especially from fellow academics!

The resit period is in August, when I will need to be around for marking. We need to be back for graduation towards the end of July. The holiday window is squeezed enough as it is, not to mention trying to get on with research which, in my case, I will need to travel overseas to do.

Another one who is surprised you can take your holiday before what might be seen as your work is finished... I mean, the students term has finished but if there is an expectation that someone in your position should, or could have to be writing exam papers now, then I'm surprised that they allow staff to book leave now.
That said, as they have, then you should definitely not reply - you are on holiday - doesn't matter if you are sitting in your front room, it's none of their business. You have leave booked and an 'out of office' reply set up. DO NOT reply. It's not your issue.

x posted

rubadubstylee are you me????

I have had countless experiences of trying to get academics to sort something they should have done before leaving for holiday - it was hardly ever unforeseeable.

Oh this brings back awful awful memories of when I was director of admin in an academic department. Endless endless reminders go ignored and then the 'but I'm on HOLIDAY' bleating.

OP you do have to take some responsibility for this! You should have known that this might happen two weeks ago when you 'noted' it. And presumably you knew at that point that you were the only person teaching on the module? Can you put your hand on your heart and say

a) no administrator mentioned this to you before and
b) it never occurred to you that you might have to do this and
c) if it did occur to you that you mentioned it yourself to the administrators since presumably you knew better than they did that you were going away for three weeks.

In answer to your question, of course you shouldn't work when you are on holiday, but on your own account you seem to be the one at fault here. Sorry, but like rubadub I have seen this WAY too often from the other side.

Nothing about resit papers or no shows in any of the exam memos we have received this year.

Oh I wish I had a pound for every time this was wrongly pleaded as a defence. Memos and emails are sent but they don't always get read. Not the same thing!

Have a lovely holiday!

Ignore it. My DH and I are both academics and he ended up working on a grant application during our honeymoon. He was desperate for a job at the time and a senior academic seemed to think it was acceptable to ask him to do work on this grant application (which came to nothing, of course) on his honeymoon. We dealt with it at the time but be both really regret it in retrospect. We had to shape many of our days around getting access to the internet etc - which was tricky when we'd planned a retreat from the world in a log chalet without wifi!

The point of view I've come to is that you could easily end up working every moment of every day in academia and no one would tell you to ease off - indeed, I've been side-eyed for taking time off on a bank holiday! So you have to set very firm personal boundaries. My DH and I now 'ring-fence' our weekends and post-6pm time during the week as much as possible.

Have your honeymoon exactly as you and your DH want it - don't let work demands dictate one second of it!

The holiday window is squeezed enough as it is, not to mention trying to get on with research which, in my case, I will need to travel overseas to do

Sorry for all the red: that will be my heart bleeding!

Good tip, Lweji!

I might email my head in a couple of days, saying I am away and asking if it's strictly necessary to do it. If she says it is, then I will, but at least I might get a few brownie points for interrupting my delayed honeymoon (did I mention it was a delayed honeymoon ).

I might be more sympathetic if the student had ever actually approached me about any potential difficulties , instead of simply stopping coming to lectures/seminars.

I agree - if you're on holiday - a proper, approved, sanctioned holiday that everyone knew about in advance - then you're on holiday and you have every right to ignore emails from work.

I hate that thanks to modern communications everyone is expected to be fully contactable at all times. How are people supposed to relax and recharge their batteries when work can come barging in at any time and without warning?

When I was a kid my dad (who owned his own firm), would come home on the Fri night before we went off on holiday and he was then completely incommunicado for two weeks. He never called in. There was rarely a phone where we were staying. No email. No mobiles. He was able to really, really switch off for the whole time he was away. More's the pity that holidays aren't like that more often nowadays.

Sisyphus seriously? Currently I'm working for my HEI on a voluntary basis (or so it feels): extra days, longer days beyond contracted hours. I will get time in lieu but that's only because my HoD is a reasonable human being.

What tends to happen is that someone gets into their head that one particular person does something, or should I say a role-holder. There can be no reason for this, other than "20 years ago when the jobs were given out that's what happened". It's nigh on impossible to get people to understand that it doesn't have to be that one role-holder. I'm having an ongoing dispute with a colleague at the moment as the person who used to do my job said they'd do something seven years ago (I've been here for six) and even though that person is more skilled in the area, because my role once talked about it, it's down to me.

DO NOT DO IT!

Please just enjoy your honeymoon! If the student failed to turn up for the original exam and failed to submit any coursework then that is their fault surely? Unless they have a VERY good reason for doing so.

Why on earth should you miss out on your holiday because someone else didn't feel like showing up for an exam? If it means that the student has to resit the year then so be it - that will be the consequences of their own actions not yours.

You make a rod for your own back. Dont check mail.

Im not an academic but have a very demanding job, i used to check my mail whilst on holiday, but since having children i have decided to stop being so full of hot air and just switch my email off. If they cant do without me dor a week or two then the world is a sorry place.
SO BASICALLY, TURN YOUR PHONE OFF AND ENJOY!

I don't get it, surely if the student won't get their marks or whatever because they missed the exam and did not submit their coursework this is their own tough shit and should be a cold, hard lesson in what one has to do as a grown up. Make your bed, lie in it

I cannot understand why a student failing to turn up for an exam is even allowed to resit, let alone that this should impinge on your holiday/honeymoon

JanineStHubbins
I might be more sympathetic if the student had ever actually approached me about any potential difficulties , instead of simply stopping coming to lectures/seminars.

Ah see, that is another difference in the way institutions work...the last place I worked this would have been a "red flag" to use a mumsnet-ism and the student would have been contacted (normally by academic staff) to establish whether there was a problem.

And *Violet - no, I'm not you but I bet this time of year there are thousands of us saying "why didn't they just sort this entirely foreseeable, boring but essential part of their job thing before leaving!" .

Yes agree, you need to flag this with your Head and get their judgement. Why not do it now while you are on the plane though?

I'm not an academic - I work in agriculture so holidays are few and far between but if I do get one I remain contactable for say in a life or death situation (I have to authorise the vet bill usually) but just an advice email? no, ignore and deal with when you return.

I agree. Why is this student being facilitated like this, regardless of inconvenience and unfairness to staff?

I also agree that when you go on holidays you should make it perfectly clear that you won't be accessing your emails for the duration.

careeristbitchnigel
I cannot understand why a student failing to turn up for an exam is even allowed to resit

9k fees, satisfaction tables, yada yada - students are now more like consumers and universities are providing a service. With increased fees come increased expectations. Lots of grey areas and potential for claims too...

Not saying that's right by the way, but times have changed and well, money talks frankly!

Ok, so the resit period is in August. So, if I was to reply, I'd simply say that I'd send them the new exam in time for the resit period in August.

Or shuffle the questions and send them the exact same exam.

no wonder the majority young people I get to work with have absolutely no concept of taking responsibility/thinking for themselves

violet, how do you get from what the OP says that she hasn't read the memos? She says there's been nothing about this in any memos/emails, which if anything strongly implies that she HAS read them, no?

OP, do NOT email your dept head! Forget about it and enjoy your holiday.

You bet, concept.

I have recently had a student turn out a paper 2 days later than the agreed deadline, with no previous warning, even though the said deadline had been moved a few times, all in agreement with her colleagues as well, and they all turned it on even if it was not as good as it could have been.
This was not for marking, but just feedback before they handed in the final version.
She was upset because I didn't provide feedback directly about her paper. Tough.

Sorry, not concept , career.

The only reason I would say not to ignore it is if you think it will play on your mind for the rest of the holiday. So if you know you're the sort of person who will wake up each morning with that vaguely-guilty knot in your stomach, it might be worth replying to the message, telling them you'll struggle to do anything about it until you return, and see what they counter with. Even if you have to spend a couple of hours on it this week, surely that's better than having it hanging over you for the next three?

(By the way, not saying you have anything at all to feel guilty about! But I know I would anyway.)

I'm an academic and we too are told to prepare resits in advance so not sure why this wasn't done. Admin don't tend to know when we're away unless you've properly logged with it with HR and noted in the department's calendar to say so, so they probably don't even realise.

I would just answer the email with some exam questions and then get on with your holiday. It's shitty but then life as an academic means basically working 24 hours a day in my experience!

How could they expect you to write an exam paper while abroad anyway ? Presumably you need reference material/textbooks etc which I'm guessing you didn't pack for a week in Tenerife or wherever you are