We all work when we’re on annual leave (evenings and weekends), don’t we?

[Changedforthisyear]

This new WFH/ managing childcare life has blurred the lines between work and home. I do the school runs during my work time, so then I make that time up later on. My work hours are all over the place. I’m on annual leave today with nothing to do/ nowhere to go and so I’m catching up on work. Are we all doing this?

YANBU we’re all working when we’re on annual leave, evenings and weekends.

YABU most people are sticking rigidly to their usual core hours.

Was totally against WFH and never did, those that did would work till midnight , days off and at week ends just to keep up.
I'm now WFH due to covid, quiet like it no more stuck in traffic coming home etc
But I still do not do above my hours and have lunch break but I have no youngsters so easier for me to stick to

Oh, your responses are making me wonder whether doing it wrong. I can’t switch off at all. My family would benefit from me being more rigid with my hours but I am massively struggling.

On the plus side though, I am smashing it out of the ballpark at work

I'm doing my hours and flexing if necessary - like school run or whatever - with permission to do so.

I'm not doing extra hours at weekends or on annual leave.

This. I'll fit my hours in somewhere else if childcare has disrupted my working day but I'm not doing extra hours evenings/weekends or while on leave. I don't expect my staff to either. Lifes hard enough at the moment without employers taking the piss

God no. Are you mad?!

I am flexible. I work pretty much core hours and sometimes I do go over but it works both ways and I am sitting having a break at the moment. My employer is very flexible and have been brilliant with this pandemic, very supportive with their staff so I am happy to step up.

For all of those who refuse to work a minute over, what happens if you want/need your employer to be flexible with you? I accept some employers are arseholes and don’t deserve good committed employees, but they can’t all be like that can they?

Not when I'm on annual leave, no. Why have you taken AL today if all you're doing is working - for homeschooling? Or just using up days as there hasn't been anything else to do this year?!

I massively delineate evenings from holidays and weekends. I work in an industry where (even before COVID) we often worked 12+ hour days so it's seen as pretty acceptable to work until 10-11pm Monday-Thursday. But weekends and holidays it's very much by exception only for me and most of my colleagues.

You need clear boundaries. If you are on annual leave, just don't work. Even incredibly busy people manage to take time off - world leaders, CEOs... and often the ones with boundaries are the most successful. If it doesn't work on weekdays due to school runs, at least be strict on weekends and annual leave.

I cant vote because I am somewhere in between.

I try not to do more than my hours. I am part time and early lockdown I realised I was doing full time hours - working out at less than minimum wage. I've therefore stopped, money aside it was terrible for my home life and wellbeing.

So now if I had something really urgent I would probably login and tackle it. But mostly I know to close the laptop, turn off the phone and focus on home, me and my DC.

Also when I was younger I worked my arse off, always staying late etc. A review came along and I went down two pay grades. I was told it was not me, it was where the job description fell. This taught me an important lesson about giving more.

Flexible working on the days you are suppose to is fine- starting late/finishing late etc but never on Annual Leave.

That’s a slippery slope.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some sort of company policy about working on annual leave too.

Surely there must be something else in your life apart from work?

DH & I always did some work when on holiday / free time pre Covid. I think it depends on expectations and the job. Some jobs ( even pre Covid - it was expected to take some calls etc even when on holiday. ) I do think if hours are x & having to do home / childcare things because not at work in the office takes away as an example 10 % of x then it is not unreasonable to have to put a bit of time in to make up - But it depends on the job.

i work set hours, log off and walk away at end of shift

I normally do but work are being bastards just now so no, not any more.

My work was wfh even before this all started. People do flexi time to work around childcare commitments but no one is working extra hours, the managers have always been really good at really encouraging the shut off and walk away at the end of the day.

Its not really smashing it out the park though if you're having to take your annual leave to do it.

No, I close all my work related tabs at 5-ish, write my notes for next day on my notebook, say goodbye to my team on Slack and off I go.

Also with you OP - but not sure if it's reasonable or not.

Think it's different when you're actually on holiday ...

Nope, I do the hours i need to do (not necessarily fixed times) and that's it.

I've been on "annual leave" this week and last and have been working every day, but I'm in a really well-paid job and in the midst of an extremely busy period. Unless I want all my work to go to the dogs, I have to keep up with work emails and take part in urgent "emergency" calls and be in touch with clients and team.

I am a LOT more productive working from home and work much longer hours than I ever did in the office.

No, I do my hours (flexibly due to childcare etc) wfh but once I'm done that's it. Definitely don't when on annual leave & my boss would tell me off if I did! She commented the other day as I'd sent her an email later than I'd normally finish! (I'd been dealing with homeschooling so finished later)

I'm flexible on my working days, but that's no different from how I was when I was still office based. When you reach a certain pay grade, it's part of the deal.

Weekends and annual leave - hell, no. We are explicitly told to take our rest properly.

I worn 4 days a week. If I need to catch up then I work later in the evening once kids have gone to bed.

I don’t check in on annual leave. The team know if they need me that they can call. But they rarely do.

At my level I expect to be, and am expected to be, flexible. No issue with that. It’s give and take. I’ll give a bit then take a bit back depending on the demands of the job. As long as the work gets done everyone is happy which is how I like it

Flexible hours is one thing but I would never work while on annual leave and I take a dim view of people who do.

I used to work with someone who made a huge song and dance about answering a couple of emails on her days off, as if this excused the fact that she went shopping every weds afternoon when she was supposed to be at her desk. Dick.

I don’t work when I’m on annual leave (we have to have designated cover in place), but I do a lot of extra hours. I think it depends how senior you are and in some cases it seems to be a cultural thing. It’s standard practice for my US colleagues to take their laptops on holiday with them for example. Generally the more senior employees will be at least contactable 24/7.

No, if I'm on annual leave I'm on leave. If i had nothing to do at home to the point where i was inclined to do work then I'd cancel my leave and take it another time. I'd only catch up at evenings or weekends if I'd maybe been out to a medical appointment or something like that during work hours. I know my colleagues with school age kids will be doing more of this though.

Nope! I organise emails purely for my benefit when I get back. Never reply, but out the ones that will need an urgent response from me in a separate folder and delete anything that isn't needed. It's less overwhelming when I return.

My away responder is set up and I avoid anything to do with work. A work-life balance is important to me.