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 work a lot after my working hours and also sometimes when I'm on annual leave.

I won't do meetings outside of working hours or when I'm off though. I did used to but then kept getting a lot of requests. I work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I'm sure there is somewhere to squeeze in those calls.

I do unpaid overtime to finish a task and never take lunch breaks but I don’t go near my laptop at weekends or whilst on annual leave.

catching up later for half an hour you took out for the school run is a different ball park to working at weekends and when on annual leave and no-one should be working 7 days a week it will just lead to burnout, it is just really really unhealthy some companies actually have switch off policies

people need to demarcate work time and home time there must be a time when you switch off work laptop and phone and don't switch it on again until next session, legally I thought you were supposed to have a minimum of 8-11 hours between shifts and a definite break of 48 hours every week sometimes people are their own worse enemies on this.
it maybe true you need to stay online until the evening one day to catch clients in New York or be up early to speak to a Japanese colleague but this should not be the case every day
I have worked from home for years occasionally i need to do an evening but I have a switch on routine for the morning and off routine in evening I give myself a proper lunch break and a short mid morning and mid afternoon break when I do something different if sitting I get up go to kitchen walk in garden hang laundry out if I have been physically active I moight sit for my break it depends
we need healthy work habits proper work proper breaks if you work on a screen all day scrolling on phone is not a break as it is just more screeens, so it won't restore your mind

Absolutely.
It's worse at the moment obviously but I think it's always basically been the case with most "professional" jobs and for the self-employed. I've had a number of jobs within two different industries and have never been able to "clock off".
After decades of that, I do now make sure that no work is done after 6 or at weekends, but that's only because I'm old and established enough to do so.

Gwen sometimes (especially during a pandemic) 'catching up on work' is actually more interesting than reading a book, going for a walk bitterly cold today, looking out of a window or watching Netflix , I am furloughed so I am not meant to be working but I am happily using the time to do some online training, research etc ... I really don't want to watch yet another Box Set or bake a cake - but I totally appreciate that is 100% my choice and no one is making me.

Nope, I might work through the odd break or lunch hour but definitely not while on annual leave

Lines have been blurred for many. It needs discipline and being prepared to say 'not yet' or set a time for things, to achieve those boundaries. There will be exceptions but they should be that.

Easier to set those expectations if you are a reliable person who delivers when you are at work.

Not a chance. I switch off when the laptop turns off. I don't work in annual leave either. It's not expected...in fact, working outside of the norm or in holidays would likely lead to someone asking if I was struggling with workload! The culture in my workplace - engineering consultancy - is you work your hours and if the work doesn't get done in that time then something went wrong in the planning. Once in a blue moon people may end up working extra to finish work, but that's only when the shit hits the fan and it is deemed to show a project gone supremely wrong. So in short, nope. Work is work, home is home, regardless of home working. For me.

@peak2021

Lines have been blurred for many. It needs discipline and being prepared to say 'not yet' or set a time for things, to achieve those boundaries. There will be exceptions but they should be that.

Easier to set those expectations if you are a reliable person who delivers when you are at work.

See, the problem with this is it makes it sound as if you think that it makes you a superior person to work in a certain way.

It also requires discipline to work flexibly.

I did over xmas on the days dp went to work himself. But not normally no.

My dh is working 7-7 most days and some weekends but paid for 37 hrs and work sent all a nice catch up thing to say how everyone can do job within those hrs
He isn't even doing home schooling just how busy they are and impossible to do
I keep telling him work 40 hrs and thats it , still giving them 3 hrs free and its having a negative effect him working silly hrs

Absolutely not.
Set yourself boundaries.
Respect your own time more.
Value your family more.

I don't get paid for overtime and there's no gratitude ever for doing it, unless you've got your nose so far up your bosses ass you are basically the same person.

I do my hours that I have to work, 7 of them. I can do them when I want, so I don't start as early now, but I will not work on annual leave or weekends, ever.

Absolutely not. I get my work done during working hours and then, the laptop goes 'off'.

I never work on annual leave. I find its best not to set expectations with your boss on this. I would never ask my team to work during annual leave either.

I often work and check emails outside of work hours though but thats not new in my job.

No, I work my contracted hours. If it gets to the end of the day and something needs finishing then I will finish it and then take the time back elsewhere.

I'll work over, within reason, to finish a task, but that's what I'd have done when working in the office, so no real difference for me WFH.

I work in consultancy so the idea of ‘contracted hours’ is pretty meaningless.

I'm just doing normal hours and am up to date with annual leave. All but a couple of hours has been booked and I will carry none over after March.
I'm concerned that my full time counterpart has taken bugger all leave and it expires March 31st.
Somewhere along the line I'll be struggling to do work of a f. T and p. T in P. T hours.
Not my issue to try and kill myself due to a broken staffing recruitment model.

Why do you ask

Do you want The Bestest Employee award??

Yes I do but I'm senior and it is expected. The only time I don't is if I go abroad as I'm not allowed to take my work phone out of the country for security reasons.

But I work flexi time so at quieter periods, I can take a day off to make up for the extra hours.

Yes and always have. I love my job though and it has paid huge dividends in how fast my salary and I have progressed! So all worth it as far as I'm concerned.

Yes and No. I am working my previous commute time, so I'm doing more hours, but also my company is very keen that annual leave is actually taken and we are actively discouraged from working when on leave. They've also established a lot of well being sessions on nutrition, sleep, yoga, Zumba, smoking cessation etc and we are encouraged to sign up to them in work hours.

My husband seems to think he's indispensable and works 24/7. (He's not and he doesn't need to).

No wonder I'm the default fucking parent. Besides working full time for the NHS.

I am finding myself working longer hours now. Part of that is due to the fact that my actual job is taking a little longer now, but part of it is also that I am not fully concentrating so I'll start work a bit late or sit on MN or other SM for half an hour when I'm meant to be working .

During the summer my time management was a lot better as I wanted to finish work to get outside . Now the days are all the same, everything merges into one. I don't have young DC at home so I don't have the motivation to get work stuff done by xxx time as the kids need me.