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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you are a manager....

23 replies

cricketmum84 · 11/09/2019 13:55

Would you answer your phone to one of your direct reports while you are off sick?

I've taken a sick day today. Horrible stomach bug caught off the kids and can't keep anything down. Am laid in bed watching bake off and trying to relax a little.

Emailed all my team this morning explaining I wouldn't be in but would be available on email if they needed me for anything.

One particular member of my team won't stop bloody ringing me! And for stupid things that could have easily waited until tomorrow!!

AIBU to just want a sick day to get over this bug without being nagged constantly??

OP posts:
Needbettername · 11/09/2019 13:56

Don't answer?

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 11/09/2019 13:58

Ah I wish I could ignore it but i feel such a sense of responsibility to answer and deal with the issues.

Plus telling them off almost feels like kicking a puppy.

OP posts:
whocanbebothered · 11/09/2019 13:59

I wouldn't answer, no. A sick day is a sick day, it's not working from home. You can bet your bottom dollar that they wouldn't be answering your calls if it was reversed. There is NOTHING so urgent that it cannot wait a day. What if you were in hospital; would they still expect you to be at their beckon call?

Switch your phone off, or set them to Do Not Disturb. I would also be emailing them saying "I clearly stated I was available on email, I am NOT available via telephone so please keep any queries to this email trail only".

LittleLongDog · 11/09/2019 14:01

Stop answering.

Shoxfordian · 11/09/2019 14:02

Ignore it, you're sick

HappyParent2000 · 11/09/2019 14:05

You have to get your team in a place that they can run without you, you will need to sort the big issues but with a proper triage and escalation process in place they can deal with the early bits first and bring you in at the right time.

Your work is essential but should almost go un-noticed until it is really difficult.

girlwithadragontattoo · 11/09/2019 14:06

Personally I wouldn't answer the call. You've sent an email etc they'll just wait until tomorrow.

DustyMaiden · 11/09/2019 14:07

You shouldn’t have said you would be available by email.

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 11/09/2019 14:10

@HappyParent2000 yes totally agree. I only took over from the previous manager a couple of weeks ago when she went on may leave but have been in the position about 6 months now. I will be working on making them work more autonomously in the future although I seem to do a lot of micro managing at the moment.

The team member who keeps ringing has issues with making decisions and seems to need input a lot of the time. I get that they don't want to make mistakes but surely if they know I've been throwing up all day they would just give me a bit of peace!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
cricketmum84 · 11/09/2019 14:12

@DustyMaiden probably not - I just felt guilty at taking the day off so thought I should be available. Probably need to work on my own self-assertiveness!

OP posts:
AmIThough · 11/09/2019 14:21

They should avoid contacting you unless it's a life/death situation.

They need to ask their colleagues or your boss for help IMO.

Next time don't say you're available. Say to direct any queries to X.

thecatsthecats · 11/09/2019 14:22

You're off sick.

We allow home working if someone has a bit of a lurgy we don't want spreading, but expectations are kept low.

From personal experience, whilst I take the view that with certain forms of sickness, it's OK to keep your eye in like this, you can't trust a sick person to do their best work.

Fortunately our CEO is an ex union boss and is absolutely dogmatic about people getting proper recovery time.

dollydaydream114 · 11/09/2019 15:21

I'm a manager and if I was off sick I'd expect my team to either decide whether their issue could wait or not and, if not, or to use their own judgement to come up with a solution and/or speak to my manager, as the next one up in the chain of command, about their issue.

It goes without saying that as a manager, I would also not call any of my team at home with work issues while they were off sick either.

I do think workplace culture is probably a factor, though. If they aren't used to being trusted and your company has a culture of blame or not empowering people to make their own decisions, they might just be terrified to do anything without your say-so. Where I work, we're generally very good about being clear that a sick day is a sick day and that's that - but I have worked in other places where my boss would call me on sick days, leave days and randomly in the evenings quite regularly.

(On an unrelated note ... I'm amazed you can watch Bake Off while you've got a stomach bug! If I feel sick I absolutely CANNOT watch other people cooking or eating...)

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 11/09/2019 16:04

@dollydaydream114 I think they are a itnervus to approach my manager - he is head of dept with 40 direct reports and if the issue isn't immediately urgent then they will get short shrift! So it's easier just to ring me.

Haha at the bake off comment. Food on tv doesn't bother me when I'm ill! The smell of food does though. DH had the same thing on Sunday and wouldn't let me catch up on Fridays masterchef Cos it was making him feel sicker... men!!

OP posts:
Original poster
cricketmum84 · 11/09/2019 16:04

*bit nervous

OP posts:
msmith501 · 11/09/2019 16:12

Appoint someone to stand in for you whilst you are away or put your out of office on to tell people to speak to your manager in your absence. Turn your bloody phone off.

CluelessNewMama · 11/09/2019 17:35

Sounds like you need a good deputy who can lead while you are not there, whether your off sick, on holiday, in a meeting, whatever. Is there someone naturally suited for this or that could be developed to be your second in command?

Contraceptionismyfriend · 11/09/2019 17:46

My husband has to constantly at the moment. But unfortunately his deputies are morons.

It depends on how much you'll have to deal with when you get back and how badly it could affect your job upon return.
Get a good team below you and you'll be able to relax a lot more.

familycourtq · 11/09/2019 17:47

Ah I wish I could ignore it
You could. You are choosing not to but then moaning on here YABU.

BackOnceAgainWithABurnerEmail · 11/09/2019 17:50

You gave mixed messages ‘I’m at deaths door but fine on email’. You’re sick or you’re not, this half and half helps no one.

Hederex · 11/09/2019 17:54

You need to stop answering.
I wouldn't dream of calling my manager when she is off sick or otherwise on leave.
I have known one senior member of staff to be phoned on annual leave once, because a piece of information was needed urgently and there was no way around it.
Your employee needs to learn how to cope.

Pepperama · 11/09/2019 17:54

You told them to use email and that you’re off sick. I’d be seriously unimpressed if they rang me with anything less than life and death matters. Ignore for now but address it when you’re back in, it’s not acceptable.

Tumbleweed101 · 11/09/2019 18:02

As a deputy I make sure everything runs through me if my manager is out of the workplace for any reason. That way I’m the only one calling her and she knows it’s something more serious that she might need to know about as I only do so if it’s something urgent.

Ideally you need to delegate one person to contact you if the rest of the team haven’t got a solution.

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