Colleague texting about work on Boxing Day

[Grandmotherschina]

They do not celebrate Christmas (Muslim)

Received a text message this morning “Dear X, don’t feel you have to respond immediately but I need to know if X/Y/Z have been sorted. Can you also let me know what is happening with A/B/C, thanks Y”

1. I was on annual leave last week so I don’t have any up to date info about the above
2. Colleague has major form for messaging at weekends/evenings etc and expecting a reply
3. It’s Boxing Day ffs

Aibu to message back and say “just because you’ve said I don’t have to respond immediately does not make this ok”!

Ignore them.
Report them to your manager and HR.

I think they have a right to message when convenient for them (unless the workplace specifically forbids or discourages it). However, they don't have a right to expect an answer until you're back from annual leave.

It’s just a text message. I wouldn’t get your knickers in a twist over it, tbh.
Just don’t reply!

A slightly different point of view but I work strange hours and i email people when things come to mind - this doesn’t mean that I expect responses in the middle of the night or on Christmas Day etc. It is just that I then know that I have asked the question/responded to other peoples questions and they can deal with the questions/responses when they are next back at work.

This has happened to me before, even if not Boxing Day it’s a Sunday ffs, just wait till tomorrow and say “I’m on annual leave at the moment, will respond when I return.” I usually ignore all communication outside normal working hours. In fact I’d ignore until Wednesday then reply as above as Monday & tues are bank hols (assuming you don’t usually work weekends or bank hols).

Send your message. This person needs to understand boundaries.

Don’t reply. Ask them politely not to message you during annual leave when you’re back in work. I’ve had issues with this from a new colleague recently (not Muslim).

Don’t see why it’s relevant you included their religion. Hope it wasn’t to stoke the islamophobes.

Unless you have an agreement to use your personal phones for work I would wait until you are back at work and then respond with something along the lines of: “Please direct work enquiries through my work contacts. My personal phone is restricted to emergency use only for work purposes.”

I would probably then use email or the like to answer her query this time, but I don’t think you have to, you can just wait for her to ask again through the proper channels.

I would probably also contact HR about it and ask what steps to take if she fails to respect your request. Just to see how much company support you would have enforcing your boundaries.

If you do use your personal phone for work purposes I would just leave it until you get back to work and answer the question then. I don’t think it matters that she sends requests while you’re off so long as you aren’t expected to read or respond while you’re off. If you find it difficult to ignore non-urgent work requests just because they’re on your personal phone, get a dual sim phone and use one number for work and one for personal and switch all the work stuff off when you’re not working.

I've only put yabu as I don't think you should even waste time replying (until you are back at work).

get a work phone and DO NOT let colleagues have your personal phone number.

A slightly different point of view but I work strange hours and i email people when things come to mind - this doesn’t mean that I expect responses in the middle of the night or on Christmas Day etc.

Except these are texts to a personal phone, not emails.

Totally not ok. Ignore completely until back at work. I’ve had a few instances of this with my work and bow they don’t even try it because they will get ignored.

1. I was on leave in early January (precovid) having a second Xmas with family who I hadn’t already seen. I had 13 missed calls from my boss, thinking it was life and death I rang back, just wanted to update me with something “incredibly” important- not important at all. I was literally making gravy!
2. On long term sick with Hyperemesis and they rang me a lot wanting to know things that I had already handed over. Too sick to reply anyway but completely ignored them.
3. On maternity leave they rang me so many times wanting to know various different things that literally any one in my team would know- I ignored completely.

And yes- looking for a new job! The cheeky fuck faces

I don't get the problem. Don't check your emails? Or disable the notifications?

People can't NOT email you whenever you're on leave, that's not practical. They've already said not to rush to respond. They're obviously working because they don't don't celebrate. Go easy. Your problem, not theirs.

I wouldn’t respond until you are back, any kind of attention will be oxygen for them.

And I would ignore any weekend messages in future. If you think they are socially clueless you could explain it’s invasive, or ask HR to if you think it’s that they are workaholics who want to impose on everyone else.

Ah, they've messaged you on your phone. That's different. Maybe ask them not to do so in future, or to email. But I wouldn't get too het up about it. Maybe if they do it again after you ask them not to.

Are they a boss or a colleague?
Either do not answer or respond saying you're off until XX date and would appreciate no more work texts until you're no longer on annual leave. I'd then speak to her about it when you're back at work.

If she persists then block her number or request a separate work phone.

why did you even read it when you knew it was from a work colleague?

Do not reply until you are working

This isn't OK. You say they are Muslim so don't celebrate Christmas, that is fine. But you do. And they should respect that. Absolutely do not reply and when you get back in you need to say not to message you outside of working hours unless it's a real emergency.

Text back “lol.”

I would reply saying you are on leave until X date and won’t be dealing with anything work related until then and reminding them to use your work phone/email to contact you about work. And not to contact you on your personal phone about work. Then I’d speak to your manager about it when you are back in.

@Showpan

I don't get the problem. Don't check your emails? Or disable the notifications?

People can't NOT email you whenever you're on leave, that's not practical. They've already said not to rush to respond. They're obviously working because they don't don't celebrate. Go easy. Your problem, not theirs.

Did you reply to the wrong thread?

Because this one is about text messages to a personal phone.

OP, I would ignore, and block the person if that's not going to cause trouble down the track.

Why are they texting rather than emailing?

I would ask them to only text you if it is a matter of life or death.

Just text back your point 1 and leave it at that. Don’t let it take up any more headspace.

That would really piss me off. My immediate team have my personal number for emergencies only (and have never had to use it). An annoying text about work while I was on annual leave would really annoy me. I'd ignore until I was back at work.