Manager phoning on day off

ZibbleDibble · 2022-06-07T11:45:29+00:00

Today is my first day of a weeks annual leave and my manager phoned me. Firstly, there was no apology for phoning me on my day off. A bit of context, I am very organised and proactive so a lot of the department organisation falls to me. I had volunteered to send an email organising an appointment for tomorrow. I copied in a colleague to the email plus saved the email on our shared folder. So this morning my manager phoned me and asked if I had sent the email. I said yes and that I had copied my colleague in (who she was with)! I also explained that I saved it in the shared folder. She didn’t seem phased that she had phoned me on my day off and praised me for being so organised. AIBU to feel irked that not only was I called on my day off but that she didn’t even bother to ask the team or check the shared folder first?

JudgeRindersMinder · 07/06/2022 12:47

Well you’ll know not to answer your phone to her again this week! You’re not unreasonable at all!

TimeForTeaAndG · 07/06/2022 12:47

Don't answer if they phone again.

Itloggedmeoutagain · 07/06/2022 12:47

Just don't answer

WhatsInAMolatovMocktail · 07/06/2022 12:48

Yanbu. I'd only expect manager to call in an emergency. Next time let it go to voicemail and don't pick up!

OurChristmasMiracle · 07/06/2022 12:53

i would just not answer calls from work on my time off. When you become less available people will call you less.

Original poster

ZibbleDibble · 07/06/2022 12:56

In hindsight I shouldn’t have answered. Seeing her name pop up on my phone caught me off guard as she rarely phones my mobile!

OP posts:

adlitem · 07/06/2022 12:57

Why did you pick up?
your manager is being unreasonable though. I'd be less available going forward.

10HailMarys · 07/06/2022 13:03

YANBU, and I would suggest not answering the call if it happens again.

pizzaandgin · 07/06/2022 13:09

I would not answer and text back to say. I am on leave, if it's urgent text me and I will try to respond

Brefugee · 07/06/2022 13:12

I wouldn't have picked up. But you did so just file and forget. Don't pick up again if they call again.

When you get back: you need to stop being the office organiser. Change it to office Delegator and share out the stuff you do and then don't do that stuff any more.

Ask manager and colleague not to call you unless they have checked their emails.

I have this with a colleague. She will call because it's easier than going through her overfull email inbox (because she is a scatty twit.) Now if she calls i say "i sent it, use the search function." and hang up

Original poster

ZibbleDibble · 07/06/2022 13:14

adlitem · 07/06/2022 12:57

Why did you pick up?
your manager is being unreasonable though. I'd be less available going forward.

The call caught me off guard as she was calling my personal mobile and not my work mobile so I guess I (stupidly) assumed it was an emergency

OP posts:

balalake · 07/06/2022 13:17

When you are back at work after your leave, make it clear not to call you whilst on leave unless it is a real emergency. Someone in hospital or dead/dying, the office closed for when you come back, something like that.

Vikinga · 07/06/2022 13:28

Well it is just one quick phone call and she mustn't have realised that you copied your colleague in the email. It wouldn't bother me.

DontBlameMe79 · 07/06/2022 13:30

You’re completely overreacting.

Sounds like a simple quick question that she asked and that was that. No big deal. If it had been me calling I would have delivered a marginally insincere apology after you answered, but that’s about it.

Maybe she didn’t remember you were on leave, or had a million other things on her mind and just pressed call before thinking. Such a minor thing for you to flip out over. Time to get over yourself.

BrightOrion · 07/06/2022 13:39

DontBlameMe79 · 07/06/2022 13:30

You’re completely overreacting.

Sounds like a simple quick question that she asked and that was that. No big deal. If it had been me calling I would have delivered a marginally insincere apology after you answered, but that’s about it.

Maybe she didn’t remember you were on leave, or had a million other things on her mind and just pressed call before thinking. Such a minor thing for you to flip out over. Time to get over yourself.

Totally disagree with this. Not everyone lives to work.

Original poster

ZibbleDibble · 07/06/2022 13:46

DontBlameMe79 · 07/06/2022 13:30

You’re completely overreacting.

Sounds like a simple quick question that she asked and that was that. No big deal. If it had been me calling I would have delivered a marginally insincere apology after you answered, but that’s about it.

Maybe she didn’t remember you were on leave, or had a million other things on her mind and just pressed call before thinking. Such a minor thing for you to flip out over. Time to get over yourself.

I disagree with you. My job is very high pressured, I deal with a lot of death and trauma at work so when I’m finished work for leave my mind is completely switched off to it.

Receiving a phone call from work immediately puts me right back in to my work state of mind.

She absolutely did know I was on leave, we are a small team of 4 people. Whilst I respect that you may not need to completely switch off after work, I absolutely do

OP posts:

JassyRadlett · 07/06/2022 13:50

Maybe she didn’t remember you were on leave, or had a million other things on her mind and just pressed call before thinking.

Those are the hallmarks of a pretty shit manager. Even if OP was working, it's pretty shit management not to check that something's been done when the solution is quickly and easily accessible.

'Forgetting' your staff member is on leave? (Before calling their personal mobile?) Calling without thinking about the effect on the person you're calling, or whether it's an issue you can check easily yourself?

That's pointing to a shit manager.

RaginaPhalange · 07/06/2022 13:54

Personally I wouldn't have answered and she should've asked you before you went on AL.

DontBlameMe79 · 07/06/2022 13:56

JassyRadlett · 07/06/2022 13:50

Maybe she didn’t remember you were on leave, or had a million other things on her mind and just pressed call before thinking.

Those are the hallmarks of a pretty shit manager. Even if OP was working, it's pretty shit management not to check that something's been done when the solution is quickly and easily accessible.

'Forgetting' your staff member is on leave? (Before calling their personal mobile?) Calling without thinking about the effect on the person you're calling, or whether it's an issue you can check easily yourself?

That's pointing to a shit manager.

Sounds like you’ve never made a mistake yourself.

Better to have some understanding of the pressures managers may be under. prima Donna employees are the worst. Entitled and high maintenance.

When stuff like this happens to me I remember two things. That everyone is allowed to have a bad day and most bad behaviour at work is driven by the amount of stress people are under.

alloalloallo · 07/06/2022 13:57

YANBU

My boss constantly phones me evenings/weekends/days off.

Drives me nuts as it’s always for something stupid or something she could find out for herself in about 2 seconds.

Stuff like whether I’ve emailed someone an invoice - look in the sent emails. Have I paid an invoice - she’s got the banking app on her phone, log in and look yourself. Have I booked someone in for an appointment - look in the shared diary

I don’t answer the phone to her when I’m off anymore.

alloalloallo · 07/06/2022 13:58

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

orwellwasright · 07/06/2022 13:58

DontBlameMe79 · 07/06/2022 13:30

You’re completely overreacting.

Sounds like a simple quick question that she asked and that was that. No big deal. If it had been me calling I would have delivered a marginally insincere apology after you answered, but that’s about it.

Maybe she didn’t remember you were on leave, or had a million other things on her mind and just pressed call before thinking. Such a minor thing for you to flip out over. Time to get over yourself.

You'd 'deliver a marginally insincere apology' to an employee that you've disrespected so much you've called with a trifling question when they're actually on leave?

You should be disciplined frankly. What an appalling attitude, firstly to think you can impose on people's time off and secondly for being so rude and unpleasant that you think an insincere apology is enough.

I really hope you're talking hypothetically and you don't actually have staff because you're the kind of boss that everyone completely hates. Understandably so.

AnElegantChaos · 07/06/2022 14:00

You're not overreacting. Annual leave is a holiday and therefore a complete switch-off from work, and no one should be phoning you unless it's a colleague that's a pal/non-work related reasons (or an outright emergency). This would be totally frowned upon in my work.

orwellwasright · 07/06/2022 14:01

DontBlameMe79 · 07/06/2022 13:56

Sounds like you’ve never made a mistake yourself.

Better to have some understanding of the pressures managers may be under. prima Donna employees are the worst. Entitled and high maintenance.

When stuff like this happens to me I remember two things. That everyone is allowed to have a bad day and most bad behaviour at work is driven by the amount of stress people are under.

Show quote history

You need to stop trying to justify your utterly dreadful management style. Ask for some training. You really need it.

SAB50 · 07/06/2022 14:05

In my industry (commercial law) it is very much the norm to check work emails periodically during leave, as occasionally we have emergencies etc. come up within our own caseloads that can't really be dealt with by others in the team.

However, that gives me the ability to scan the emails in my own time, and decide which (the vast majority!) can wait until I'm back, or dealt with by whoever is on my out of office auto reply. A phone call seems so much more intrusive and I'll be honest, would really piss me off!