Do you work when you’re off?

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

I’m on annual leave, but I’m not away. (I am going away for the weekend but doesn’t cover any work days.)

I have two days this week and two days next week booked off to cover the Easter Holidays.

I’ve got an out of office on my emails, and it’s been relentless. Can you just change this, can you quickly get in touch with X, do you have X document.

I’m just at home so it’s no skin of my nose to do the occasional thing, I really like my job. But it’s grown. Basically whenever I’m not working, I’m working. Is this just the way life is with some jobs, do you do this?

I guess I’m just concerned that next week when I’m taking my DC out each day, it’s going to seem like I’m slacking off.

I will answer very occasional phone calls/texts from colleagues asking for urgent advice on things that are specialist to me. Mainly just to be helpful, it’s always prefaced with a ‘sorry to bother you’ and it’s not abused/over used. Otherwise hell no. Don’t even look at your emails, switch alerts off or whatever. You are on leave!

In an emergency, or when something is genuinely urgent (if it was me answering a quick question or someone losing a client, for example) I don't mind being contacted on my day off. But that should be the exception, not the rule. You need to set clearer boundaries by not answering email.

I have spent years carefully training my colleagues as to what I will and will not do. I've willingly come in on weekends in busy periods, stayed overtime, done weekly overnight trips, taken my laptop home nightly.

I have also spoken quite sternly to my boss (who I'm now the boss of) about bothering me for irrelevancies out of hours. My boundaries are all about reinforcing my rights and my choice: I can refuse whatever I like out of hours, be firm about my leaving time etc. You can send me whatever by email, but call me, and I will be firm about blocking contacts out of hours.

And I have been promoted to Director. I haven't always realised it about myself, but I think people respect someone who's really clear about where they stand, who works hard, but also knows when to stop, and when to say so politely. I think it's partly because I always show respect to people who are in front of me - I'm never late for meetings etc, because the previous one overran or anything like that.

I do it when urgent but have consciously tried not to get into the habit of doing it when not important. People come to expect it all the time if you make it the norm.

I'm a supply teacher and when I am in a longer term assignment I do the planning and marking etc as required when I'm off for the holidays. I tend to do as much as I can at the start though and then I have the rest of my time off to do nothing.

Nope, I am rigorous in protecting my time off. Especially now I work .85 FTE.

I don't check or answer emails outside of working hours. There is nothing so urgent in my company that t can't wait until the next day. I make sure I am up to date before I go on leave and leave a contact in my stead. People love being "busy" but I don't see why their misplaced sense of importance, and/or their poor organisation, should impact my leisure time.

I don't work. I have done the odd thing in the past when its been absolutely essential but everywhere I've worked has flexi time so I've put it on my timesheet and took the time back.
My husband is an accountant and his team is v v short staffed this year end so he ended up working all bank holiday weekend. That's all gone on his timesheet and after year end is over he will take the time back.
I don't like worrking when you're not supposed to be working, sets a shitty precedent for all staff. If a job can't be done in the hours allocated its either too much or poor time management.

I only deal with urgent stuff that my team can't manage without me. I will keep an eye on emails but I don't generally respond to them - that's why my out of office message is on!

If you are checking your emails and responding then you have only yourself to blame.

If they are calling you - then don't answer.

I have a work mobile which is turned off and has an out of office message on it. The only person with my personal mobile number is my assistant and she would only contact me if something was on fire.

I have done my time being available 24/7 and when push came to shove I got shit all respect for it.

Absolutely not.

I don't even think about work after I leave for the evening never mind at the weekend and never look at my emails outside working hours.

No, nobody expects me too either. Does your work expect it? Can you change that? Does it annoy the rest of your family? DH does check his email when on leave, as he finds it less stressful to deal with any urgent daily than to have it all waiting for him when he gets back to work.

DH and I both do. I have a week a year when I will only check for texts once a day (ooo says to text me if desperate) and do anything super urgent that is needed. But I get flexibility back, and its all very much part of the job

I keep an eye on emails but try not to get sucked in. My out of office voicemail says that I won't be checking messages left and that I may not have signal to deter 95% of callers. Most people are respectful of annual leave and don't take the piss. But sometimes I do have to pretend I really don't have signal to deter those who haven't quite got the message!

I am non-contactable on my days off - nothing will burn down without me.

They’ll have to wait or figure it out for themselves!

I will deal if there is an emergency in which case I will get a call or a text. I used to check emails as like you, if I'm at home it's not s huge deal. But I wasn't getting time to just detach for a few days. So now, I don't check emails, I switch off notifications and will only work if an absolute emergency. Everyone respects this at work and I've only been contacted once in the last 6 months when not 'at work'