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.

I am working more flexibly (eg going for a run during core working hours, because it is daylight then, and making up the hours at other times of day), but not working more hours overall.

When I am on annual leave I tend to check my email once a day but I will only deal with anything that is very quick and/or very urgent.

Annual leave and weekends no, evenings and non-working days yes, but this isn't totally new for me and it cuts both ways, there's no problem with me doing a bit of personal admin stuff in my actual work hours, or going out to an appointment or whatever. I couldn't settle to work yesterday so gave up in the afternoon and picked it up again this morning (my non-working day).

I’ve been working from home full time for the last 5.5 years. It’s taken me a while to get the balance right, including a recurrence of depression. Think I have it about right now - and when I’m not working, I don’t work. I am no use to my job if I don’t look after myself, and I’m also no use to the rest of my family.

I have a flexible working arrangement whereby I do the school usually 3 afternoons a week and then work from home.

I often work more hours than contracted, but it is expected at my level, I received a promotion and £15k rise in February, and another £3k this month.

However, my employer emphasised that family comes first during lockdown, and if the kids need help with school work, they need to be helped.

Also, there is no issue if I need to pop out during the day, as it is known that I do more than my hours. Today, the dog has the vets, I’ve let my boss know what time I will not be available,

On annual leave I don’t log on, but will review emails and triage them

You need to be far more boundaried with work. It's not fair on you or your family.

I do occasionally work outside work ours because of the nature of my job. It's the exception though and I take the time back.

If you are voluntarily working outside your normal contracted hours and aren't being paid for it, then you are a twit imho.

My timetabled hours are fixed. The rest I do when I can rather than in the college day like I would if I was in. So I may do a lecture then some school with DC, another lecture etc. Then paper work at weekends or on "non work" days.

I guess there's lots of different factors at play - I've always been flexible in my approach to working hours and I've been lucky enough to always have bosses who were reasonable and treated me well. Also I've never had to "leave on the dot" because of childcare or other responsibilities.

In my current job I have a lot of autonomy over my hours and days that I work - and it works both ways, if I want a few hours/days off mid week I can organise it so that I don't need to use Annual Leave.

I personally prefer working this way but I am lucky enough to genuinely love my job ... currently furloughed and missing it - using the time to do online training etc - I don't have to, but it fills the time and ensures I feel connected to my work.

I run a company so have always worked through holidays, no matter where I am. I get calls about every little thing, it drives me insane sometimes but that's the price you pay I guess. It's always been the same, I haven't noticed an increase because of covid.

But my staff absolutely do not work on their holidays or days off, I dont contact them at all. They dont work consistent hours though so do receive texts about when they're working the next working day but if someone's off and a customer rings for them or emails I would either deal with it for them or ask them to wait till they're back if it's not urgent and it's important that the same person deals with it.

I think it also very much depends on how senior your role is, how well-paid it is and how much you actually like your job.

If you work in a junior role on a lower salary and don't particularly like your actual job you won't be inclined to work outside of strict working hours.

I think it's really important to have set working hours. Its really not good for your mental health to be "on" all the time.

I can't vote because I think your choices are too extreme. IME, I have always worked unpaid hours over and above my core hours, always worked through lunches and extra at month end reporting times. However, I've never worked when on leave.

My DH is wfh and is doing extra hours unpaid because there are parents who aren't putting in the hours and their work needs to be done too. However, when he's on leave he doesn't do any work.

You're options are badly written: people can only answer for themselves.

Our CEO is an ex union leader. We work flexi, and we don't work a minute over. He and I are both very strict with staff about checking out entirely.

As a manager I find the best staff are those well-rested with a rounded perspective on their work. A good sense of perspective outside of work enhances an employee's ability to judge the relative priorities within work and, when meeting with triumph and disaster, treat those imposters the same.

Work is the means by which we exercise competence in exchange for money. The more we have exercised these principles, the happier everyone has become, AND more productive.

(we cut hours and increased pay in 2019 with no negative impact on productivity)

I know what you mean, and have definitely been doing loads more work in my own time, mostly evenings as an extension of my working day. Things have been very demanding and without a commute I've just kept going, sometimes until very late. So 💯 with you that work goes beyond my "official" hours. They are vair lucky to have me 😆

On an actual day off I'm someone who keeps an eye on my phone and respond if it's quick - but I most definitely would NOT actively get my laptop out just because there's nothing else to do. Would only happen if some sort of crisis occurred. I'd much rather have the downtime even just to stare at the tv. It wouldn't feel like a break otherwise, surely?

And by "day off", I mean annual leave. I would never use precious AL to work when I might genuinely need it later. I will get the laptop out on weekends fairly often (hate it though!).

oh, I think we're talking cross-purposes. I didn't say longer hours, I said spreading it over more time.

Ah, fair enough. For me personally, that just doesn't work as it means I never switch off, iyswim.

Nope, and we're telling staff not to either. Work life balance and separation is more important than ever, where possible. If it means you spend a hour or two less of your day working because you have childcare issues, then ...fine. It's a pandemic, we're not expecting anybody to be at peak productivity. As long as we know projects might take a little longer, we can build that into planning times.

No but I work out of the home. I do go over my set hours at work though (healthcare).

I sometimes work extra. But it all goes on my timesheet, and I do not do anything unpaid. At the very least I'll get it off in lieu.

It's far too easy at the moment for work and home to have blurred or even non-existant boundaries. But we all work better when our work life balance is clearly defined. People who work all hours are not going to be the most productive in the end, and IME are more prone to making stupid mistakes.

The cynic in me thinks big business is loving the pandemic (those that are thriving, that is). They can freeze (or decrease) pay, make staff cuts and push (surviving) staff to work more and more hours...

I work odd hours because I don't do 9-5 (I'm a lecturer) as does dh (he's self-employed). But I'm quite strict with work life balance generally. I have some colleagues who literally have no boundaries. They work 10 hours a day on holiday and ignore their kids. There's no point to life if you never get a break and it generally makes you so unproductive in the long run. So with some exceptions for urgent pastoral care situations or critical deadlines that can't be missed, I don't work on the weekends and I don't work on AL. If I'm off sick, I will keep an eye on email, but generally no if I'm not working, I'm not working. I only checked my email once between the 18th of Dec and the 4th of Jan, and that was only because I had a student who had been struggling with her mental health and I wanted to check she hadn't emailed me for any reason.

@vanillandhoney

oh, I think we're talking cross-purposes. I didn't say longer hours, I said spreading it over more time.

Ah, fair enough. For me personally, that just doesn't work as it means I never switch off, iyswim.

That's what I like about my job! I can be doing something totally mundane and suddenly think 'ooh, that's clicked, now I can go sort out that problem that's been bugging me for months'.

But YY, I think it does depend on the job and on you.

Personally, if I have to fit everything into a 9-5 I just end up burnt out, with the additional stress that I miss out on things with my DD. But I agree, any system needs to make sure people do take time off somewhere.

I need my evenings but been working more than usual at the weekends to try and catch up

Nope! I am working slightly longer because I can start earlier as can do a bit before the school run and I use my lunch break to do the reverse school run - at the moment, there is no school run. But, I count every minute I do including setting up the monitor and laptop as I can build flexi. My annual and flexi leave is completely work free and I never log on in the evening.

My children are KS2 and KS3 so mostly work independently so I can get on with my work which I imagine is extremely challenging if you have to care/home school younger ones.

Yes no-one took annual leave for a lot of last year as there was no where to go. When we were told to use it or lose it we took it but most were doing bits and bobs of work stuff.