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”

Before 23.59 on Friday. I would absolutely assume it was a Friday deadline because you wanted to work on it over weekend or even very dark doors on Monday

We all know 9am Monday easily turns into 10 or 11 am

Agree with you OP.

yesm I'd send it by 5 on Friday but if it was me requesting it I would say that I will be working on it from 9am Saturday

Not necessarily as early as 5pm, but definitely Friday

It clearly means EOD Friday. Of course.

What’s not necessarily obvious, is that you intend to work on it over the weekend. So yes, some people may very easily interpret it as by start of Monday.

If you intend to work on it over the weekend - just say that. Otherwise, you’re more than likely not going to get what you need, when you need it.

You need to be explicit with people. Absolutely 100% clear. Believe me. I speak from experience.

The end of Friday's working day (so, before people typically leave the office).
It's a very well used phrase and it's absolutely not open to interpretation.
Your colleague is a halfwit.

It clearly means end of business hours on Friday, whether that’s 5pm, 6pm or later depends on your company. But it definitely doesn’t mean first thing Monday morning

Before the worker doing the work goes home on Friday. Might be 5pm or 7pm but I would expect (in my previous industry) the person would be looking at it over the weekend. Else 9am Monday morning would mean so I can work on it on Monday.

5pm Friday

I understand the phrase and know it means 5pm Friday but as far as I’m concerned it’s just corporate wankery.

Say 5pm Friday for the avoidance of doubt.

5pm Friday. No question

As it is a cricket term, I guess in the summer months a very literal simeone might just stretch it until almost 9 pm on Friday. But no question that it refers to Friday, and most probably Friday 5 pm. YANBU, def.

When I worked for NHS admin side, "COP" meant before you go home from work or by 5pm. I usually work in another industry that doesn't use COP at all. Never..... yanbu

End of working day Friday so 5ish.

It clearly means Friday night at any time dependant on when people shut down.

No one I know would think otherwise and would get the info over at some point on Friday.

Whenever I finish on Friday (which could br midnight) because you want it Saturday morning.

But with a weekend involved I think you have to be clearer if the person you are asking doesn't know you are likely to work over the weekend. If they never do, it might not occur to them that everyone else is not the same.

End of working day Friday - 5pm ish.

Depends when you ask - I work early so if I am asked for something by COP Friday at 3:30 that leaves me my goodwill time to finish it. I do ask when it is needed for, so if you said you were working on it over the weekend then I would do overtime to get it finished. I would not expect to do that on a regular basis. If you said you needed it for Monday I would do it before you thought of getting out of bed on Monday morning.

I’m so surprised at the volume of people who say 5pm Friday. I always take cop to mean before the next working day. I’m often working in the evenings so assuming cop is 5pm doesn’t work for everyone.

That said if I was planning on doing it over the weekend I would check with you first but if you specifically want to work on it over the weekend you should make that clear too.

Without a time I would stretch that to midnight on Friday but it would be with you on the friday. I would understand there would be weekend working going on.
If you said for 9am Monday I would assume I could do it on the weekend if necessary.

I agree with others that you could clarify you need it so that you can work on it over the weekend.

You have a very strange friend who is performing mental gymnastics there!

I would assume you'd want it before I went home on Friday. What time that is depends on the business - in my job It would be 5:30pm

5.30pm on Friday

AdrosAdraDrosDolig what’s not to understand?

I hate this phrase. It makes me cringe.
We don't need sports metaphors at work.