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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be annoyed at being called by work when i am on holiday?

72 replies

Thinkmummy · 12/04/2016 16:51

I'm off work this week enjoying a well deserved break with my other half and 3 year old.. Work have rang asking for my help needing me to log on and do two tasks for them that apparently cant wait till next mondayHmm.

Backstory I've been doing the job of two people since my colleague went on maternity early Jan they have not found someone suitable to replace her.. This has caused my workload to sky rocket and there is only me in my area and my supervisor who overseas part of my work and other areas.
Now the request came from my manager in relation to some backlog of work from 2015 ( that we have been in fortnightly communication a shortage of manpower is preventing it from being cleared) and a new colleague that has taken over a small section of work none of these requests I feel are business critical and caused me to spend about 30-40 min working from home (unpaid) am I being sensitive or are they bu?

OP posts:
capsium · 12/04/2016 17:31

Do not answer your phone to them so they have to leave/send a message. Then text back that you are away from home and cannot do any work.

samG76 · 12/04/2016 17:38

Little - I think the payscale is relevant. If OP were on £100K + the potential disruption would be built into the job....

JeanSeberg · 12/04/2016 17:46

I'm going against the grain here but these things work both ways. I never question staff starting a bit later/leaving early for dentist, doctor, school nativity play, parents night, going away for weekend etc etc so it's nice when it works the other way too.

ErgonomicallyUnsound · 12/04/2016 17:49

I have had similar in the past. My feeling is I'm not paid enough, quite frankly. If it's an emergency, fair enough. But this isn't, so they are taking the piss. Also IME people will take the piss, and rarely recognise when you do loads of extra hours.

Don't martyr yourself - it isn't worth it. A few extra hours I will do, I will help on my days off in emergencies, but past that, they can do one.

expatinscotland · 12/04/2016 17:52

Buy a PAYG cheap phone. Tell work you changed your mobile no. Give them that one. Don't answer it if o holiday. They are taking the piss.

ErgonomicallyUnsound · 12/04/2016 17:53

Jean - I agree with the give and take thing. I work flexible hours and am appreciative of this and so always do a few extra hours a week "free". I also occasionally work for a bit in the evenings "free" - but to be expected to do a fair bit of non urgent work when you are on annual leave? That's taking the piss.

EweAreHere · 12/04/2016 17:54

That is not reasonable.

Tell them you are on holiday with a three year old and it will just have to wait until you get back.

JeanSeberg · 12/04/2016 17:55

It was 30-40 minutes...

ErgonomicallyUnsound · 12/04/2016 17:58

Jean - today it is......and it's her holiday.

Original poster
Thinkmummy · 12/04/2016 18:00

Re flexible work again due to the workload I'm often working through lunch breaks (taking 20 min instead of an hour and staying behind 30 min or so to complete my task that I am on... Cant leave early as there isn't the cover (supervised has taken herself off her role mostly this week to do mine) however its not all bad as if need to take time off to look after my ill child although only happens once a year they will then take time worked over and above standard hours into consideration in future work I do maximum 3 hours the rest has to be taken as holiday or unpaid

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/04/2016 18:01

Sorry, but I'm wondering if they actually have any intention of finding someone to replace your ML colleague - after all, why would someone who behaves like this pay more money when someone else is doing the work?

I completely understand the need for someone in a management role/on a high salary to compromise, but not in your case. For me, that phone would be off and stay off - at least as far as they're concerned; they can't expect you to do it "later in the evening" if you never got the message, can they? Wink

MrsOriginalBear · 12/04/2016 18:02

I think the issue is about boundaries. Give and take is fine, we all like to think we can be flexible, but if you struggle to say 'No' then it can blurr things unhelpfully. If they value you, then they should recognise your need for a well earned break so you can return refreshed and willing. Placing value on what you give is vital. Part of how you do that is by recognising your own needs first before the workplace.

capsium · 12/04/2016 18:03

And to be fair, if you keep on doing work whilst on holiday it will be lulling them into a false sense of security. There will be a time when you can't, where there is no phone signal, you are abroad, you are camping or sailing.

Ragwort · 12/04/2016 18:04

I'm only an accounts clerk on £19k - Hmm - what a sense of entitlement, I am 'only' on NMW but I frequently work outside my contracted hours, do stuff in my free time etc etc.

EweAreHere · 12/04/2016 18:04

"It was 30-40 minutes..."

Do you show up to work 30-40 minutes late and expect nothing to be said? Do you disappear without saying anything mid-day for 30-40 minutes (not lunchtime) and expect that to be ok?

If a company would have a problem with these scenarios or like scenarios, then they have no business contacting an employee who is on holiday to do a non-emergency work job while they are away. Especially when they have failed to provide sufficient cover overall.

TitaniumSpider · 12/04/2016 18:05

OP given your job and your salary, no, they shouldn''t have asked you. YANBU. However a bit of give and take is OK - do they let you have time off to do go to things like nativity plays or sports day and so on?

Where I work I go in early and do some unpaid overtime. If I would like time off to go and see my children in sports day then I have been allowed it without having to take holiday or time off without pay. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours!

JeanSeberg · 12/04/2016 18:08

Do you show up to work 30-40 minutes late and expect nothing to be said? Do you disappear without saying anything mid-day for 30-40 minutes (not lunchtime) and expect that to be ok?

Yes to all the above, I get the job done and work all sorts of hours. If I need time off in the day for an appointment, so be it.

capsium · 12/04/2016 18:10

Ragwort why is it entitled to expect to be paid (as per the contract between you and your employer) for your work? To expect contracted hours to mean just that? Or to expect to receive your holiday entitlement? Basically to expect your employer to obey the law...

It is these type of expectations, as illustrated by the op's employer,that make being a working parent very difficult.

bloodyteenagers · 12/04/2016 18:10

It's not always about give and take. I do give and I do take.
But what can happen, is a bully of a boss has a couple of people pleasers. Who will work extra for nothing. Stay late. Go in early. Who will work at home to get stuff done that is time consuming and will still be doing this at midnight.
Then it becomes expected. The bully throws a bit of a tantrum. The people pleasers will plead with you. The boss will say but it's
How xx does it.

It really is best all round that people stop with this shite. It is unreasonable. There is simply no justification at all, regardless of your pay grade. Everyone deserves time off.
Like a pp said, years ago you worked your hours and that was it. Things survived. And let's be honest. Even if there was an emergency, by the time the actual boss arrived shit would have happened anyway and it's a terrible business model if only one
Person could handle an emergency.

Original poster
Thinkmummy · 12/04/2016 18:13

Ewearehere - yes I would be questioned they have a habit of forgetting extra work that has been done... Any time off for appointments school plays etc has to be made up in the future previous extra work is not taken into consideration

OP posts:
TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 12/04/2016 18:16

Ragwort, I REALLY disagree with you that OP is entitled.
I have worked badly paid jobs in the past some of which I would have worked extra for free because they were worthwhile and I did them because I loved them (archaeology/museums) but it isn't something employers should expect as a matter of course.
If you think it is then you are very vulnerable to exploitation and I think expecting extra work for free from people on NMW absolutely is exploitation.

HarlotBronte · 12/04/2016 18:17

Payscale does make a difference. There are some jobs where you get paid for always being available, things like City solicitors for example. OPs 19k gig is not one of them, and no she isn't displaying any kind of sense of entitlement by expecting not to be hassled by work when she's on annual leave. That's an impressively stupid attitude.

gBean · 12/04/2016 18:18

I wouldn't dream of contacting ANY of my staff while they were on holiday. I did it by accident the other week, apologised profusely and felt awful.

YANBU

TresDesolee · 12/04/2016 18:21

I'm all for give and take, but proper annual leave (as opposed to the odd bit of evening/weekend work) is different IMO. The headspace that you get from having a week or two completely off work is very different to the quality of rest you're getting if you're constantly on alert for a text from work. (And OP's job doesn't exactly sound relaxing at the best of times.)

TendonQueen · 12/04/2016 18:22

On that salary, and with them only taking and never giving any slack, then they're taking the piss. I'd be job hunting to be honest as places like this rarely change.

Ragwort you need to start saying no then.