If you work for a large law or consulting firm beyond senior manager would you ever expect to.get an interrupted holiday?

[Bakeo]

As the title says!

The team this person manages are under pressure as so many are off sick at any one time (go figure 🙄). Several have had 'accidents' recently (think being run over equivalent). Small team.

No! And as PP said it's been the same since I started my TC.

I don't think I actually mind though as it's swings and roundabouts and I'm sure I get lots of perks in return. Probably!

I don't know this industry exactly but most senior roles in similar environments you'd be very lucky to get an uninterrupted holiday.

I'd be very lucky to get an uninterrupted holiday to be honest and I'm not earning anywhere near what those guys get.

I do understand the environment and have worked in that culture for over a decade. I remembering popping back after honeymoon before work to get a start on the thousands of emails.

I think it may be more that I hate the micro-managing style this person has that is not necessary in the role they do.

Also majorly fed up that people around me with 'normal' jobs are ploughing salary into pension so the state pays university fees which is not helping me to be objective.

I have been known to travel on holiday with work clothes after having to return from leave once to resolve an issue - landed in London, got cab to wait while I ran into shop and bought suitable clothing, did meeting, returned to airport and made it back for breakfast.

People love being important!

I am sure no one is forcing you to work in your environment. If you don't like it, get out and work where you are happy. There is no amount of money that is worth being miserable and resentful.

That sounds like an absolutely miserable way to live. No amount of money would make up for that to me. I work hard at my job, but I work to live not the other way round.

People are getting run over? Bloody hell! That would worry me too!

@gwenneh

It's not and I actively don't allow it from anyone under my direct management. Get off of Slack, take your email off of your phone, and go relax!

Good for you. I went one further and banned it across the company!

The one workaholic I can't control is our worst performer. No headspace in his brain, and out of touch with normality because he never lives normally - he's always in work mode.

My OH works quite senior in an international firm, the offices are UK, Dubai, both coasts of US, Tokyo. Not only do we never get uninterrupted holidays we barely get an uninterrupted evening.

The price you pay for a higher salary...I dread to think what his hourly rate really works out to be. It isn't uncommon for him to be still firing emails at gone midnight. I want to throw his phone at the wall in all honesty

Nope. I now work for myself and in many ways it's even worse (although I try very hard to manage downtime). DH is apparently on holiday today to spend some time with the DC. He went in this morning, came back at 1.30 went on a conference call at 2pm and is now drafting something urgent arising out of that call. We are going to the theatre at 6pm and I'm not hopeful he'll make it.

We've had interesting holidays with friends where he's had to spend most of the evening on the phone and they've been really shocked.

No I wouldn't expect it but it would be nice. Though I did once work for a partner who whenever he was on holiday was uncontactable- completely disappeared. It was great because it meant he never bothered me when I was on holiday- unfortunately this is rare.

As a partner you’re basically self-employed (not truly, but that’s the ethos).

If you’re a self-employed one-man-band, doing jobs that will always be in good supply and/or have little competition, you may be at liberty to down tools completely for however long.

If you’re self-employed in an industry where competition is fierce, or you have other partners who demand a certain revenue in order for you to remain a partner, you will almost never be able to down tools completely. Exceptions need to be extreme: marriage, birth of a child, bereavement of a close relative, hospitalization. Because if you do down tools, your partners have to pick up your slack, and why would they?

It’s a vicious, miserable, selfish, unhealthy way to work. But it’s also very personally profitable and can make a certain type of person feel good.

I’m an EA and no my boss would never get a completely uninterrupted break but we do set boundaries like only essential calls, only in certain windows, I triage their emails so they don’t need to check them regularly etc. The exception was when I worked in banking and there was mandatory time off to spot if you were up to no good (at my firm it was 1 or 2 weeks depending on your role).

We are going to the theatre at 6pm and I'm not hopeful he'll make it.

And as expected - he's just had to go onto another conference call

Nope not when I worked there or since my career tanked after having kids and I work for a small company in a lowly job

Wouldn’t expect to have to fly back unless there was a massive emergency.

Would expect to return emails/calls. Would usually set aside a time period am and pm to check inbox and voicemail to minimise disruption to family and establish a routine for colleagues/clients I.e. they know I’ll get back to them 10-11 or 4-5. Would mention this in voicemail and out of office reply so they didn’t panic/blow up my phone.