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

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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.

Yes. But legal profession in an area where we’re basically on call out of hours permanently anyway. Can never ever fully relax but being on leave means I don’t pick up new cases that come in which is some minor relief.

I didn't work at all over Christmas but I work 4 days a week and am finding I often catch up hours on my day off. In fact I am beginning to loathe my day off. I don't mind if DS and dh are off as well but I can't do cleaning as it disturbed DH's work and DS's lessons and I can't go out anywhere so sometimes work instead.

I always wfh, though I'm self-employed so it's a bit different.

From 10 years of doing so, I think it makes a huge difference to how you feel not to check emails outside whatever working hours you set for yourself. So I never work at weekends and I never work during holiday periods. When I had smaller kids I'd work in the evenings if I needed to catch up, but not at weekends or while on holiday. Otherwise you are always at work - never quite relaxing, but often not concentrating on work either.

No unless I've missed a load of time taking a parcel to the post office or something...I dont work for free..
I work well when I'm in/on and that's what I'm paid for... I have little time for presenteeism and work martyrs..
Am oldish! And an experienced manager so think more likely they are inefficient and ineffective..
Nothing wrong with all hands to the deck in case of emergency...but burn out is a real thing..
Most work is a marathon not a sprint....

"I’m on annual leave today with nothing to do/ nowhere to go and so I’m catching up on work. "

So, it's your choice. YABU then. If your boss is giving you so much work that you have to work after hours they are being unreasonable, ditto if they expect you to be available all the time.
There is never really nothing to do except work. You could read a book, have a lie in, go for a walk, look out of the window, watch TV, go on Netflix.

My employer has always been good about working flexibly so that people can have a balance. I'll often make up time if I've run an errand during work time, or take that time as my lunch hour. I also do extra bits to either finish off a task or email if I've not quite got there by the end of the day.
One-off projects I'll do extra hours if I need to.

I never work on my day off or on holiday. We are encouraged to take a complete break. If there was an absolute emergency I would work but it's highly unlikely in my industry.

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.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if it genuinely works for someone to do a little everyday, then great, but it shouldn't be expected for everyone to do the same.

I am a teacher, currently on mat leave, but my rule is no work at home unless its correcting mocks or year 11 essays (which I try to do during my planning time). My time at home is for my kids or DH. I watched my DH burn out as a maths teacher to the point that he ended up in hospital with a suspected heart attack at 26 because of stress. He was doing 70+ hours a week. I refuse to burn out. If it isnt done between 7:30am and 4pm, it isnt done, and nobody will die as a result of me doing it the next day. Too many people work for too long, and then realise too late that it wasnt worth it.

YABU I would pick up super urgent thing if boss called me to tell me but generally I can think of lots of things I’d do during annual leave that isn’t work.

In a past life I would agree with you, but now I'm pregnant and trying to work whilst juggling a toddler, with the threat of preschool closures ever-present, and trying to not loose my mind with this pandemic. Im doing my bare minimum hours, 7h a day, flexibly and not working when I'm on annual leave.

I voted YABU as whilst I will sometimes work 30min/1h longer to make up for a school run, I will never log on in the evening, at the weekend or when on holidays.

Honestly - I think it depends on the job - if you are paid for x hours and nothing more - then just work those hours - there are other jobs ( typically well paid ) , where there are times you have to work more ( no overtime payment - just part of the job ) - so decide which one you are and then stick to whichever.

My DH does go through his emails and delete ones that don’t need action. But that’s so he’s not so far behind when he returns.

Absolutely. But im a nurse and my whole area would fall to pieces if we didn't because we are so understaffed.

I've always been willing on working days to be flexible with hours and stay at my desk until tasks are finished. I've usually had employers who are flexible in return, e.g. with unofficial TOIL if I'd worked several long days.

What I won't do is be available on weekends and annual leave. I don't care if people send me things on those days, but I won't be checking emails or responding. I'm currently in a role where people always say "I'm on leave tomorrow but call my mobile if there is anything urgent" - nope, not doing that. If your workplace absolutely can't cope without being able to contact you over the weekend or through a week's holiday, something has gone very wrong with their workforce and contingency planning.

I've been working (from home) what feels like non stop since March - ridiculous hours and pretty much every weekend. For the first time ever I took my full Christmas break and didn't turn my phone/laptop on for a whole fortnight. It was glorious. But I'm paying for it now trying to catch up

It is how I have worked from home (self employed) since 1994 and indeed these days I tend to do some work on about 365 days a year but if like this morning I want to go outside when it is light to do gardening I do that even if that means I work later on today after "working hours". It suits me but it does not suit everyone. Also if I miss a client call we starve so I don't tend not to want to be around when a new client might email me.

When I was a full-time class teacher I used to work in the evenings and at weekends; even when I did a jobshare I spent my days off working.

Now though, I only work when I'm actually at work. Dh, when he was full-time working from home, only did the hours he was paid. He didn't fall behind or have a lot to catch up on because he was strict with the amount he took on and the hours he'd do. He chose redundancy btw; they wanted to keep him on.

I work extra hours the days I work to catch up, I also occasionally work on a Friday/log in for a meeting if I need to although I should be off. Compressed hours though so full time work and hours in 4 days. I don’t log in at all when on annual leave UNLESS it’s an important meeting that cannot be done at any other time and I absolutely have to be in it.

I am self employed but been trying to get some admin work done whilst DS is homeschooling.

Absolutely not but I don't have kids.

I would be very worried if I thought people in my team were working all the time, it's not healthy, I would want to know so I could help.

I worked part time, some from home quite a few years ago and felt like I was always working. Yes I had the flexibility to fit around other things but felt obliged to work and check emails constantly which wasn't great.

I've set my work hours as roughly 9-5 and if I want to swop an afternoon for an evening session I do. I often work one Sat but have a slack day in the week. On weekends I don't check email apart from briefly to make sure no emergencies.

You don't have to work on your annual leave days, just chill out, watch TV.

I'm a teacher, so officially have a lot more holiday than most. I do plenty of work during those school holidays, it's just that I choose when and where I do it. I also work quite a bit on evenings and weekends during term time, depending how busy I am (reports due and exams coming up, I'm working constantly, exams finished means I don't work so much out of normal hours)

Dh doesn't do any work at evenings, weekends or annual leave. BUT he also doesn't earn as much as I do, or get as much annual leave. Although he is part time, 4 days a week, so over the year we work roughly equal amount of days just spread differently. He's definitely of the opinion that work happens in work hours, not outside of that.

Of course that may well be part of the reason I end up doing more of the childcare, because I am more flexible in when my work happens. I'm at my laptop at 7am during lockdown so I can help organise dd with her home learning at various times during the day, whereas dh switches his computer on at 9am, has lunch at 1, finishes at 5pm. No deviation, and also no help for dd if she needs it during those times.

I work in school, 39 weeks per year, 21 hours per week over 4 days.

I check my emails daily (including weekends) and will answer them if it can’t wait. If try to restrict thus to two or three times a week outside term time but it has definitely been daily since March lockdown.

I don’t work on a Friday but today I have spent quite a lot of time sorting out next weeks registers and rota and have had several phone conversations with SLT.

DH works (from home) full time. He goes into his office between 7.30 and 8 am. He comes out for lunch (15 to 45 mins depending in how his diary is looking) and finishes between 4.30 and 5 pm. However, he never looks at work stuff at the weekend or if he is on leave.