Colleagues who cover for you while you're on annual leave

[Worriedaboutsmear]

If someone covers for you while you're on annual leave for 2 weeks, which also involves that person picking up things that could wait until you get back, but they want to help you out so that your first few days back aren't hijacked, would you thank them on your return?

Or are you of the view that if you're on hols, the work that you would ordinarily do during that time, isn't your responsibility, so why should you thank someone for doing it, it's the company that should be thankful to whoever picks it up.

Yes of course I would say thank you.

However, I did have a former colleague who not only didn't say thank you (for cancelling my leave and covering all Christmas shifts with 2 days notice) but actually looked quite annoyed that I had coped so well. They did eventually redeem themselves though and I later found out had some complex personal issues going on at the time. Their life was all about work and they needed to feel indispensable, so me covering it all with a cheery, but concerned smile on my face although intended to be kind was actually the last thing that they wanted to see. Ah - you can't win em all.

Is this a reverse

And yes I would thank them, it's the kind of things friends do

Whenever someone covers my store either for holiday or a day off I always thank them.

I would say thank you. If it happened anyway... my colleagues are mostly too bloody lazy and do nothing/absolute minimum!!

Yes and I would do the same for them if possible - that said, if I was very busy I may forget to say thank you.

Too busy to send a 3 word email saying 'thanks for covering!'?!?

I did this for a colleague, definitely went above and beyond so she didn't have to come back to
Loads of crap and have her kids back to school. She wrote me a thank you email and left a mini bottle of wine on my desk. She didn't have to but I really felt appreciated and would remember it in the future

Nobody covers my job when I'm on leave

Thanks for your replies.

Yes it's kind of a reverse. A colleague at work, who I covered for for 2 weeks and did additional stuff to help her out because I know how stressful it is come to back to "urgent requests", has not said one word to me about the cover. She works in a different office so I thought she'd have sent me a quick email (she's been back a week). She hasn't. I actually saw her on a Friday at a team building thing which was 5 days after she returned from leave, and she barely acknowledged me.
If it was me, the first thing I'd do on my first day back (after getting a strong coffee) is ring the person covering for me to get the lo down on what I've missed and to say thanks!

There is a bit of a backstory on my part where I've always felt like she's a bit weird with me. There's been a few "playground type" incidents that I've always just put to the back of my mind. I kind of wondered if I was being paranoid about this situation, hence why I tried to see it from another perspective in my OP.

Reading your latest post, OP, I actually thought this was about me ... :/
Does your colleague know you were doing her role? Are they tasks she is happy about doing (if she has tried to have her boss agree she is overloaded and had already said she will no longer do them, for instance)? Could she have been told by the boss she's not permitted to approach you to discuss any of this?
(In case I sound OTT, yes these scenarios are things that happen at my workplace!)