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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think when I am on annual leave my colleague should be doing my work

121 replies

Jenasaurus · 04/08/2020 04:00

Just that really. I have returned from annual leave to find all the work has been waiting for me, emails unanswered despite an out of office on requesting the email my colleague or Manager. We share our role and when he is away I always respond to emails and cover his work as well as my own. This isnt work that should be left or can have penalties and implications.

I have been up until now resolving all the issues just so I can have a more normal day tomorrow, when I log on again at 8am.

I think I need to raise this with my Manager but I noted some of the emails are from her, and really she should know as I am away that my colleague should be dealing with them.

This happens all the time, and I am starting to dread taking leave as it just means double the work when I return.

How do others cope, is this the same for everyone or am I just unlucky

OP posts:
Jaxhog · 04/08/2020 10:25

Not much of a team is it? Yes, your Manager is at fault for not making sure that your important/urgent work is covered while you are away. But they may well assume that you and your colleagues have agreed on something between you. If I were your customer, I would NOT be happy that this was not done. Lead with that thought when you talk to your Manager. Don't blame the other person, but enlist your Manager's help in sorting out a better cover arrangement that works for everyone.

mrsBtheparker · 04/08/2020 10:28

When I was off ill, teaching, a supply teacher was employed but I sent in very specific work for each class he was covering. On my return I found that he had not marked any of the work, not hard, most was the right/wrong variety. He had told the Deputy Head that he didn't think it was his job to mark work so he had been a very expensive baby sitter for a week, about £150/day.

JacobReesMogadishu · 04/08/2020 10:31

@Jenasaurus

I basically work in an Estates/Facilities team we have problems reported to us that need action asap, like roof leaks, pest control, asbestos issues, but we also pay the invoices on our 155 sites for Rates, rents etc.. If I take 2 weeks leave and no one responds to an email it could have a serious outcome, some things have to be dealt with asap.
And that wouldn't be your fault,.

Definitely raise it with your manager so they're aware. But I wouldn't be so quick next time to stay up so late catching up. If things get missed, there's implications, fines, etc.......well maybe that might make your manager actually manage and get your colleague to keep a closer eye on things when you're off.

I've had a job before where if I had time off nobody did my work...but nothing was time critical. I see the point that what's the point in having time off if you have double the work when you come back. But the other view is that while your off your colleague has double the work? Are they snowed under, is it feasible they can have double the workload for a few weeks?

Normandy144 · 04/08/2020 10:40

Urgent issues should definitely be picked up by your colleagues while you are away. I work in client services and I absolutely cannot just go away for 2 weeks without giving my clients a contact to deal with in my absence. That being said I always get ahead before I go and leave my covering colleague with only the tasks that I can't prepare ahead. We reciprocate when others go on annual leave. If we didn't we would fast lose clients.

EBearhug · 04/08/2020 10:46

We have a rota to cover the group mailbox. If someone wants work doing, they need to send it to the group mailbox else it won't be done - it's also a way of tracking how much work we have coming in through that route, and means everyone has a share of our core work.

I hand over pieces of work which are likely to need some attention before I am back from leave, which sometimes means giving a colleague the background and sometimes means telling the (internal) customer who to contact, usually a bit of both. Other stuff - they can follow the contacts given in my OOO, but it is very clear I will not have access to email till I'm back. I make sure no one is in the position where my urgent work can't be covered, and it feels fairer to pick up their stuff when they are out, because it's reciprocal.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 04/08/2020 10:53

@TeapotCollection

I thought this was normal, no one does any of my work when I’m on holiday. If they did, I think I’d be worried that they could probably do without me
Mine wouldn't be able to wait if I was on holiday for 2 weeks. Other people are expected to cover and I do the same when they are out. There's two of us in my direct team but other people always help out.
Brefugee · 04/08/2020 11:00

In past workplaces there had to be a handover before you left of things that must be finished/dealt with, and a backup person nominated in your OOO that should triage the incoming work (or handle it or whatever was necessary)

I always used to write: I will not read emails until my return if this is urgent contact one of the above-mentioned colleagues for action.

Where i work now we are only few and each has their own area of work. My boss is supposed to cover mine but in reality … it sits there until i get back. Which is a pain in the backside if there's an open RFQ that must be answered.

lottiegarbanzo · 04/08/2020 11:36

Your office systems sound a mess and need sorting out. Urgent messages need to go somewhere where they're dealt with urgently!

The rest, if it's supposed to be dealt with by whichever team member is available, needs to go into a common inbox, where it can be triaged and dealt with / sent on to individuals, accordingly.

That's the obvious issue here.

As for how much pre-holiday prep and catching up you need to do, that will depend on exactly how the work is organised and how busy the office, as a whole, is.

I've usually worked in individual roles, rather than shared team roles, so the run-up to holiday has always been really hectic and the return involved wading through many emails. Nothing urgent would have been missed though, as I'd have organised all my work commitments in full knowledge of my holiday time.

JBizz · 04/08/2020 11:39

YANBU

If you share the same role there is no excuse

My colleagues don't cover me when on holiday but that's because it's a specialist role and we all have very different jobs so to train someone to cover would take ages.

SeasonFinale · 04/08/2020 11:40

I am pretty certain if issues described above ie urgent ones would be dealt with if your email directs them to talk to or email X in your absence and even if it doesn't I am sure they would have picked the phone up to sort urgent issues.

lottiegarbanzo · 04/08/2020 11:45

It's not good to place an extra step in the way of customers with urgent problems getting a response though. Sure, if it's really urgent, maybe they'd have phoned not emailed in the first place and will probably phone if they've heard nothing in a day or so - but by that time they're already annoyed and having to chase.

What if you're 'out of office' goes into their spam folder etc? It's just another, uneccessary, barrier to communication.

If email is a method your company uses for urgent communication, it needs to be responded to urgently.

PuppyMonkey · 04/08/2020 11:49

I think it’s your manager who should be stepping up here. When you’re on hols, s/he can check your emails and pass the urgent stuff onto the colleague or decide which tasks can be left for you to pick up when you’re back at your desk.

IwishIhadaMargarita · 04/08/2020 12:00

Did a similar role and remember the awful handover before going off and the backlog when returning despite the team mailbox. It might just be how it works.

Mary46 · 04/08/2020 12:38

I would raise the issue with your Manager. I covered the PA and reception in Feb. Both workloads. Emails cant be ignored. You could be direct please contact x about your query as I am on leave.

MintyMabel · 04/08/2020 18:55

If I email someone and get an out of office saying “contact xxxxx instead” I only do that if it is an urgent query. If it can wait, I wouldn’t contact someone else.

MMN123 · 04/08/2020 19:31

I also like to put an out of office message saying

“I am on leave. Your email has been deleted. Please send to (central email) or email again after my return on August 1st.”

And I always say I’m back several days after I’m actually back. To catch up. And I leave my out of office on during that time.

Otherwise it’s just unmanageable. I don’t actually delete the emails. I skim them and check admin received and processed them and if they didn’t I wait a week or two to see if they come back and if they don’t I decide whether to contact them. That depends on prior knowledge of them - I feel under no obligation!!! Takes the pressure off.

HerNameWasEliza · 04/08/2020 19:58

*Set your out of office to read

"I am on annual leave until XXXXX. Please direct your enquiry to YYYYY or alternatively email me again on my return. This email will be deleted."*

I actually think that's really unprofessional. Lots of emails can wait until someone returns but to expect someone else to remember to re-send is a bit arrogant and what about important emails which are sent to a number of people? If anyone working under me sent an email like that I would request it immediately be removed and if they continued to use it we would be going to disciplinary action.

MulticolourMophead · 04/08/2020 20:07

My out of office directs people to the team inbox. I don't set emails to forward to team members.

purpleme12 · 04/08/2020 20:14

Yes if it's things that can't wait someone else should deal with this while you're off

But then that should happen at my place but it doesn't! You know the odd person is reliable and will do it but most people don't!

Wibblewobble99 · 04/08/2020 20:30

Hi OP. I work in a similar field to you although less responsive more site/job management. My colleagues will respond to urgent emails in my absence but I don’t expect them to do any of my work - any expert reports or queries will have to wait until I am back. It usually means I have to have the first day back from A/L undisturbed and then book in any appointments or site visits that have been flagged as urgent.

I would however question the use of your personal email to raise these urgent issues. You’re right to have concerns, I would too. Would it be possible going forward to ensure that all new orders and queries go to the shared inbox and therefore anything that you’re already involved with unless urgent comes to you? Maybe a line in your footer asking for new orders to go to X address and to also put a line in your out of office to say ‘if your query is urgent please send to X address’ and reminding people for a few weeks if they send it just to you?
I would also speak to your line manager to raise your concerns and see if you can come up with a way forward together

KorkMum · 04/08/2020 21:20

YABU (Don't truelly think you are) My jobs like this so if I take leave no one will deal with my clients so I have lots of paperwork/ emails / phone calls to catch up on. Same with my collegues.That's just work.

MMN123 · 04/08/2020 22:11

@HerNameWasEliza

I disagree - there is an alternative email to address issues. These days you can see when sending emails if someone has an out of office on. I consider it deeply unprofessional to send requests while someone is on leave and in my workplace that would be considered lazy, inconsiderate and rude. Keep it on your own to do list - the person is on leave and shouldn’t come back to a wall of non urgent requests!

HerNameWasEliza · 04/08/2020 22:54

I disagree - there is an alternative email to address issues. These days you can see when sending emails if someone has an out of office on. I consider it deeply unprofessional to send requests while someone is on leave and in my workplace that would be considered lazy, inconsiderate and rude. Keep it on your own to do list - the person is on leave and shouldn’t come back to a wall of non urgent requests!

Not all emails are requests? Not all emails are just sent to one person and to expect the person who sends them to keep a separate list of people who have refused to accept them and to keep sending them again to those people is inefficient and silly. There is no good reason why the email cannot wait in the inbox until the person returns from leave and is able to respond. People need to manage the requests when they return and prioritise. I could not disagree with you more on this. Such a waste of time for people to send, re-send and re-send emails just to pander to people who are unable to manage their inbox on their return from leave.

MMN123 · 05/08/2020 07:51

@HerNameWasEliza
Depends on context I guess. In the case of estates and facilities I would suggest consistently advising people of the correct process for requests or creating a ticket system to ensure metrics are available and clients aren’t waiting - but if people allow work to come via personal emails that is a barrier to efficiency.

If you receive upwards of 100 emails daily that need a reply and face well over 1000 to deal with when returning from leave, in addition to normal work and stuff you are fyi’d into and those are not ‘client’ requests they are just normal working day communications then actually that is a barrier to people taking leave, it increases stress and the majority of the communications that require a response are just sitting waiting. If I’m emailing someone I need a response from and I see an out of office is on before I press send, I don’t send it. They will already be coming back to a load of FYI group emails they are on a cc list to. Individual requests can and should wait. Sending a request to someone on leave is the height of bad manners! Why is clearing sending the email off my to do list more important than letting someone come back without facing 1000 emails to catch up on in week 1? Surely we should all be looking after our colleagues in this way? Yes it’s a nuisance to delay sending it but I’m the one sending the request so it’s up to me to be considerate toward the person I’m emailing. And when folk are back and they get an email saying ‘I was going to email you last week but saw you were on leave so didn’t want to clutter up your inbox. Did you have a nice time? I need x, y, z when you have a moment.’ Isn’t that more collegiate than not worrying your pretty little head if your inconsiderate request is undoing the benefits of the holiday and contributing to people being stressed at the thought of taking leave because of the relentless communications?!

HerNameWasEliza · 05/08/2020 08:01

Sending a request to someone on leave is the height of bad manners! Why is clearing sending the email off my to do list more important than letting someone come back without facing 1000 emails to catch up on in week 1

My collegue was on leave for 2 weeks and then I was on leave for a 2 weeks. I sent him a non-urgent email whilst he was on leave and then he did what he needed to with it when I was on leave. It would be bonkers and indeed in my line of work, unsafe, to sit on info because of this sensibility. Stalling emails does not reduce the work load and if all those emails come in on day 1 of your return you are in exactly the same place anyway. And again why do you keep suggesting that all emails are requests? A lot of emails are info or keeping you in the loop as an observer to other conversations. I would have found it ridiculous to expect my manager to hold the emails he sent me during my leave for the day of my return and would not expect him to spend his time managing that. I do not find your argument convincing in any way whatsoever so we will have to agree to disagree.