AIBU .. to work on 19 September?

[ImJustMadAboutSaffron]

It's the first day back at work for me and the first day of freshers week. Of course the student activity planned for the day will not take place but I'd got several meetings planned with colleagues and student ambassadors as well as a couple of employers. These meetings will affect what we do in the rest of the week.

It's not about not showing respect or not caring about the queen and nothing whatsoever to do with the social side of university or drinking activities. Yes we can rearrange some things. But it's going to be rather awkward and have a knock on effect on the following week when the returners come back.

If the others are amenable - and I'm aware they might not be - I want to have the meetings, probably on Zoom.

AIBU?

There's no power imbalance. They can say no.

What direction have you been given by your boss?
i would ask them what the guidance is for Monday and go with that

Feel free to work and let others know your working if they want to join you make sure you plan zoom meeting away from the actual funeral time

OP if you work in a role with any sort of involvement at all with Freshers week/start of term arrangements what on earth made you think the second week of September was an appropriate time to take leave 😳 I'm amazed you were allowed to take it then. Admissions staff don't take leave in Aug/Sept. And frankly if this stuff is so urgent it needs sorting Monday 19th or things will go tits up, you should have sorted it before you went on holiday, or put arrangements in place for others to sort.
Also you definitely can join a zoom on holiday. As others have said simply get colleagues to invite you with a link to your mobile phone, and ask them to share the documents by sharing screen on zoom. Your colleagues can invite you just as they would if they needed someone external to the university to join a call, it happens all the time with suppliers, outside agencies.
If that's not enough, these meetings aren't just 'quick zooms' that it's no big deal to ask people to join on Monday. If you can post on mumsnet you have WiFi and can join the zooms (at least some of them, rescheduled) this friday. You just don't want to!

You just don't get it though - you expressing willingness to work makes people feel they have to express that same willingness, too, or they will be perceived poorly. Why don't you understand that?

There absolutely is a power imbalance.

Unfortunately, you seem to be one of those people that don’t how their behaviour contributes to the toxic work environment

But everyone around you will.

There's no power imbalance. They can say no.

You said some of these meetings involve student ambassadors. There is definitely a power imbalance there.

Its my DD birthday, we will be going out as planned- We usually go to a local attraction but if all closed, hopefully weather will be nice enough to go to the beach or park!

I’m a uni lecturer and I’d be furious if one of my colleagues tried to suggest this. Absolutely furious.

ask them to share the documents by sharing screen on zoom.

Am I the only one who struggles to see documents shared, if I'm using a phone screen? Can barely see anything. Maybe a very simple chart. Nothing more elaborate.

I'm not up my own arse to not want to let my patients down, or lose a whole day's money, when covid fucked me and I don't care in the slightest about the queen or any of the others.

People have different opinions and priorities in life.

emmetgirl I would guess you have a cafe or shop in Cornwall (no need to confirm or deny!) I would wholeheartedly support you, why should you lose out on income? People will be out and about, I hope you have a good day.

We will be out for most of the day and will support a cafe or tea room if we find one open.

I think seeing as you’re so happy to work a day when you’re not supposed to be then the rest of your team have the meetings next week. You email them what needs doing and either trust them to sort it or you join via Teams as best you can even if you can’t see documents the others can. You email the student ambassadors afterwards informing them of what has been done/what needs doing so when they come back on the 20th they’re up to date. And next year think of having these meetings at the end of the academic year in preparation for Sept. 🤷‍♀️

It is up to you if you want to work but you can't expect others to work. I will probably check work emails and doing any urgent replies early then sit in front of the TV the rest of the day.

That's the case for many workers. You just get on with it.

And it's totally fine to work on that day.

What you can't do is ask others to do so. You just do work that doesn't involve other people, and then do the 'meeting' type work in return.

I suspect you might be in the minority amongst university staff when it comes to saying no thanks to a day off.

Please don't presume to know what I do and don't want to do.

I always take these two weeks and have done for years. I work bloody hard in the weeks leading up to freshers week to ensure everything is planned, and come back to an organised plan that works. I don't have children and I want to be on holiday when schools are back. I also take leave around the middle of July for the same reason.

I'm not admissions staff, I'm a senior lecturer in an academic department.

If you say so. Seeing as you know so much about me, my colleagues and work environment, you must be absolutely correct.

Even those of us who work in HE and are senior academics are saying you're unreasonable......

Who exactly would perceive these people poorly?

I'm self employed and so is DH. No work = no pay. I can still work, DH can't, so he loses a day's pay and there is naff all we can do about it 😔. Less money coming in really isn't what we need right now and companies who are struggling as it is having to pay everyone to have the day off is also not what we need in this country right now.

So, you asked peoples opinions and if you would be unreasonable to this.

The majority tell you, you are. But you don’t want to accept that. So why ask?

You want people to give up their bank holiday, but won’t give up anytime of your own holiday. And again, you could phone these people and do a meeting. If it requires sharing data and presentations, it’s not going to be a quick meeting. But you still think, it’s ok for you to encroach on other people time off, but not your own. You can’t see the hypocrisy.

You are a SENIOR lecturer, but don’t understand that there’s a power imbalance between you and students? Really?

I do not want people to give up their bank holiday. I've never said that at all and have no idea why you think that.

I've asked what people think about suggesting three short meetings. All with different people. None of whom I bully or manage. All of whom don't have to say yes and that's absolutely fine. I know these two students very well.

I've asked people for opinions, yes. Does that mean I should simply accept all the comments as being correct? How does that work? As I've been misquoted so many times, I don't think so.

And, in fact, on the voting more people tell me I'm not being unreasonable. They just haven't commented.

Their managers. Who might feel pressured if senior staff want to hold a meeting. This is endemic in universities - senior academic staff want to do something, it sets a certain 'tone at the top' which then permeates. I'm quite surprised you don't understand this. I'm not saying they definitely will be perceived poorly - quite the reverse, more likely you will be - but a junior member of staff might worry that they could be, by saying no. So they put on a 'can-do attitude' and say yes, I can do it, I'll have to park the kids in front of the box or something but I'll make sure I join.....' or similar. Even though they rather wish they didn't have to.

If you can’t see what effect this I'm a senior lecturer in an academic department. has on this I've asked what people think about suggesting three short meetings. All with different people. None of whom I bully or manage. All of whom don't have to say yes and that's absolutely fine. I know these two students very well. No one can help you as you’ll do what you want to anyway.