Manager pushing billable work on KIT days & Im feeling pressure

[NCev]

My manager has always been take take take. And Im trying so hard to put boundries in place. I work in marketing, mid-level role but it’s high pressure and I know the team are overworked.

I am due to go back mid Jan and doing my second KIT day tomorrow. I have logged in to see a whole host of emails from manager to my prospective clients, telling them that I will get x, y, z to them tomorrow by COP. With a load of other actions for me to sort tomorrow. I’m so disheartened, I have hours of mandatory training to do, and would just really like time to screw my head on before the pressure compounds. But I can see that the team have been told to forward anything they don't have time for to me. These are not small pieces of work they are project milestones I need to get my head round and into the detail. On the other side - if I dont do it tomorrow it will be even worse as Ill still have to do it in Jan but be even closer to deadlines with fewer resources available.

WIBU to say Im still on maternity leave, and how do I word it that Id like to ease back in not have real quantifiable consequences if I don't manage to this stuff done tomorrow.

Thanks!

Talk to hr and ask for their advice on how to tell your boss what kit days are.

More diplomatically than that though.

Erm kit days aren't really for working, its about catching up, training etc. Id get HR to have a word..... this is why so many women end up on sick leave for stress. Tou are not there to start projects or be client facing

Kit days are usually an hour or so to pop round show the baby off and go home. KEEPING IN TOUC. H. Not for working or going in for more than an hour, also , voluntary. I would say you changed your mind

And stop logging on outside of kit days. If he/she is monitoring via traffic receipts etc they will expect you to be doing stuff on maternity.

Yes, ask HR to clarify with your manager what KIT days are for.
I would simply reply to the email with "Sorry I won't be available to do that I have training booked"

Manager can't argue with that.

Huh? They are full paid days in work, I am not saying what is being put on OP is right at all but they are more than just popping in to show baby off!

You don’t bring the baby to KIT days!

I thought KIT days were not obligatory and you could choose to do them if you so wished??

KIT days are at your managers discretion and are indeed for work. They're not for just doing a smidge of this and that, or just x many days to catch up on stat and mand (when does everyone else do theirs?). Having said this, there's common sense and your manager is taking the absolute rip. Good luck pushing back.

Dear manager, thanks for your emails. I have looked at x and y but have run out of time to do z, z and z as most of my time was spent today doing the mandatory training. Please can you allocate these tasks to someone else in the team as they will need to be actioned in advance of my return on XX January.
Many thanks and looking forward to my return,
OP
(copied in relevant members of the team who have allocated tasks to you)

Thanks all!

I was only checking my emails to look at one of the updated HR policies relating to if they pay for our travel to the new office or not - I wasn't doing any work.

I'm not expecting to not do work and just waste time however I'm on maternity leave, it's tricky to start project work that I can't then follow up the next day, but she's treating my days as if its a normal day. It actually creates more problems becuase I don't have time to hand it over to her to pick up becuase it's so granular, so Id either have to stay late, or expect her to decipher where Im up to.

I will do what I can but I only have 1.5hrs of time outside of meetings so I'm just going to push back as much as I can and try and develop my backbone as I do so!

You could just not do the KIT day. They do have go be agreed, so maybe if it's not what you are expecting just leave it and wait til you return properly.
It does sound like they are taking the mic, maybe you need to word an email to make it clear you are happy to be working your normal role however in terms of consistency for your colleagues/clients it is not practical for you to do any project work until you officially return. Do be prepared though for the company to turn around and say the KIT day is not required then as they do need to agree it, so if you desperately want to go in (need the money) this could impact you.

They’re paid in full so no they’re not for popping in with the baby

They are for working but I wouldn’t expect to be doing client deadline work - more catching up with the team, emails, training, company policies, setting goals / business planning for returning

popping in with the baby for an hour is at your leisure, not a paid KIT day

Well personally id just cancel the KIT day. They are not compulsory

I second the suggestion to ask HR for advice, but be careful how you do it - they probably haven't a clue what your job is and the danger is they will side with your boss.
Maybe couch it in terns of needing x hours for training / catch-up meetings and your manager has asked you to do work on top that will take twice as long, and you won't be able to finish it until January, which will be too late. Or something along those lines.

For my team, they do usually bring the baby- we let them know about any big team/work updates over a cuppa and cake whilst all the colleagues have cuddles, take them to lunch and send them home!
Personally I view them as reassuring my staff member on mat leave that they are valued and capable so they return with all their wonderful skills post mat leave. I would never try to get them to be used in the way this manager has, it’s very strange.

And I agree with the person above that I’d just cancel the KIT days if I were you. You can’t be required to do them.

At my work it's for a pop you get 10 of them and yes they are fully paid, but you dont log on or get to work.

What you do on a KIT day is supposed to be agreed between the employer and employee. Being assigned project work where multiple clients are being told that you will be contacting them and completing tasks for them in around 7 hours is ridiculous.

Exactly! They're Keep In Touch days, so you catch up on important changes and statuses at the company.

Also, from the gov website: "The type of work and pay employees get should be agreed before they come into work."
https://www.gov.uk/employee-rights-when-on-leave

Yep, they aren't compulsory. I'd suddenly fall ill with the super flu, it I didn't want a full confrontation 😬

I’d email manager and say I only have 1.5 hours outside of meetings and I have mandatory training to do so I won’t have time to complete the work sent by xyz colleagues unfortunately. And cc the colleagues in so they are aware. I’d do it on the day though as you shouldn’t have to work on mat leave.