AIBU to ask what you’d interpret by the phrase “Close of Play”

[CyanSnake]

Hello all.

WIBU to ask you to help settle a light hearted debate I had with a colleague over lunch today?

I’d sent an email out asking for a task to be completed “by close of play Friday”. Now what I meant by this, was that I’m going to work on the project over the weekend; so I need other staff to do their part before 5pm on Friday.

If I knew I wasn’t going to look at it until Monday I’d have said “The deadline is first thing Monday” or “Can I have it by 9am Monday.”

Now my colleague said that she would interpret the phrase “by close of play Friday” to mean “I want to work on it first thing Monday” and that if I directly set a deadline of Monday morning it sounds like I’m directing staff to work over the weekend.

I asked what she would do if she needed something to work on over the weekend and she said she’d ask for it by Friday lunch and chase over the afternoon if it wasn’t done.

So how would you take the phrase?

YANBU - “Close of play Friday” means “By end of business hours on Friday”

YABU - “Close of play Friday” means “On my desk before I start work on Monday”

If you work in a company culture where significant unpaid overtime is required that is shit and you should not think it is normal or acceptable. If you work in a Magic Circle law firm or one of the Big 4 - I think you'll find it's both normal and expected to put the hours in when required and if you have not done your research and were not aware of that before accepting the job that really is shit.

If you work in a company culture where significant unpaid overtime is required that is shit and you should not think it is normal or acceptable.
It's very normal in consultancy, IT, law, financial services, business development, some finance roles (particularly month-end / year end) and many senior roles. It's usually rewarded by higher overall salary and bonuses rather than any specifics about hours, so the "unpaid" hours are covered in a sense. Initial working years in particular can be very tough, but coming out the other side are successful high earners so they don't need sympathy.

Billable time is not necessarily rostered shifts either. It's worth remembering that sometimes people work in international teams, where working hours vary and fairness might suggest submission at the end of their working day. Also hours worked can be flexible whether paid or not; when it's more convenient for me to receive something from juniors or external groups on Friday and work on Saturday rather than Monday then that's what I'll do and charge clients the same.

Obviously end of working hours Friday. Monday morning would be late.

I'd think it meant by the time the person goes home Friday. Not necessarily 5pm. But definitely sometime Friday.

5pm Friday.

As an aside, “close of play” makes me cringe.