about 'urgent' work emails when I'm on leave?

[flopsyandjim]

I'm on annual leave for a month due to having no childcare. My line manager approved this. She can be a bit of a pain, sometimes nice, sometimes not.

I do have a history of checking emails during annual leave and responding to some, but I've been trying not to respond this time (although checking them). My manager even sent me an email last week before leaving saying that I absolutely must not check emails, and copied others in telling them not to email me until I'm back.

except today I get an "I know you are on leave, but this is urgent" email. Asking for information that I've already provided but she can't find...I get all my email alerts on my phone.

I responded. It took me only 2 minutes but AIBU to feel annoyed? I'm trying to do better with keeping work and life separate, and I'm off to spend time with my DD (and catch up on study). I thought she wanted me to switch off but seemingly she wants me to save her skin because she's under pressure again and being a nice person mug I find myself helping again.

DH says as it only takes 2 minutes to provide the info, not to worry (he has done work on his annual leave too, we are quite a pair aren't we?)

I am waiting on the outcome of an interview for a position in another department where hopefully I will have better management. This entire team have been very mixed messages - do not take work home, do not check emails, but we will give you so much work that you will end up doing it in your spare time anyway.

Meh wouldn't bother me to help my workmates out for 2 minutes if I could

I'd just set up an auto response, saying you are on leave and will be back in the office on ** date.
Ignore it all.

Why don't you have an out of office response on?

Delete your work email access from your phone and let your manager know you don’t won’t have access to work emails while you are on leave. You can always tell your manager to text you in a genuine emergency. You will feel much better for it!

2 whole minutes out of a months holiday?

Sounds very petty

Do the auto response. Enployers are not your friends and should stay out of your free time.

you were specifically told not to check. Sort this out, stick your "out of office" response on and STOP CHECKING.

I think you sound petty. I would rather do two minutes work whilst on holiday rather than have someone waste 45 minutes looking for whatever it is.

I used to work in investment banking. It was not unusual for people to contact colleagues who were on leave about 'urgent' things that they were perfectly capable of sorting out themselves.
Someone once got a stern talking to about not answering their phone to a work colleague whilst they were on holiday.
I no longer work in Investment banking.

You are on leave. Let them get on with it. Any questions/complaints, refer to the email from your boss telling you absolutely not to check emails.

I actually think your manager has been very accommodating by letting you have a full month off and by emailing all of your colleagues not to bother you. These two things don't normally happen where I've worked in the past.

I do understand the pain of seeing your phone flashing with alerts but I think if you're going to read them, schedule a specific time per day to do it. Then it's not impacting on the rest of your day when each email comes through.

BUT your boss should not expect you to respond either.

2 minutes, especially if it would have played on your mind if you hadn’t, is nothing. However, you’d already sorted this problem, if you had left it the worker would have had to find it alone. Might have been a life lesson for them!

(DH once answered work emails whilst standing in a ride queue at Disney 😩. )

If something urgent came up while I was off I would expect my boss to contact me on my personal phone rather than hoping I might check my emails. If they’re just doing it on the off-chance you’ll check, it can’t be that urgent.

I know how you feel OP.
But I would have replied as it took 2 mins. So done.

The issue is more that you are seeing work email alerts whilst you are off. Is that on work phone or laptop? It means you aren't switching off from work for your leave.

If you have to log in or turn a work device on to check to see these, then please just stop.... Voila! source of stress solved.

If it throws up notification on a personal device you use all the time, then stop notifications, set your out of office on that with date you will be back and will next see your emails.

Ps. If it was absolutely critical to the business and a genuine emergency that only you could answer, then your manager would find a way to contact you but it'd take his/her thought and effort. And s/he'd want to avoid taking that step. It's too easy otherwise to ping off just another email to you.

You can change your behaviour whilst on leave, and therefore that of your manager/team.

She approved the holiday so 2 minutes to help her out is not too much to ask imo.

Thanks everyone. I do have an out of office auto reply set up.

No acknowledgement as yet to my response to her 'urgent' email. grrr

Put your out of office on and stop responding to emails even if you do get them on your phone.

If your manager has signed off on your leave for a month, and you don't have any alternative mobile phone number that you can use, I'd recommend uninstalling the mail application for that time and then re-installing it on your return to work.

I'd have forwarded the cheeky email to my boss...

Stick out of office on and don't check your emails?

It's very common practice for people to respond to emails on A/L, as unfortunate as that is. Managers especially get it worse and are expected to be 'on' at all times. Also a month of leave is incredibly generous for most roles, I would happily reply to the odd email if my manager was so accommodating.

Remove your emails from your phone until you're back at work, it's far too tempting otherwise.

If they choose to ignore your out of office, that's their issue.

You need to stop emails coming to your phone whilst you are on AL.

(DH once answered work emails whilst standing in a ride queue at Disney 😩. )

Sounds like the ideal time to me. Nothing much else to do while bores rigid in a queue for a day and a half.

Hmmm. In principle I agree it's not on to expect people to respond to emails when on annual leave, but I wouldn't worry much about two minutes out of a month.

The suggestion upthread to ask her to text you if it's genuinely urgent next time sounds like a good one to me. Otherwise completely ignore your emails, don't even read them.

I would consider this a one off and not respond to any more urgent emails.

This is why I don't have phone alerts to work emails. I switch off and people have to call me or text me if it's really urgent. I actually write this on my "I'm away" reply.

Generally I’m off the “Don’t answer” persuasion. But I think a lot of workplaces wouldn’t give you more than a fortnight’s leave at once, so being a little bit gracious about a two minute reply would be a good look.