To think my colleague could work from abroad even if she is stranded?

[Pozzled]

Here's the situation:

Colleague is abroad at her family home. Due back at work on Monday just gone, but won't be back until next Wednesday. She'll be on full pay in the meantime but doesn't have any major expenses because she's staying with family (not sure if that's relevant). She doesn't have children to look after. She has access to a pc and the internet, and although she couldn't do her full job, she could do quite a lot. However, she is enjoying her extended holiday while we all have to work extra hard to cover her workload.

I understand that she couldn't foresee this, can't do anything about it etc. But AIBU to expect that she could at least offer to help us out a little?

My DP is stranded. He is working as normal, conference calls, emails, phone calls, meetings etc. He's in Canada and is getting up at all hours to speak to people at 'their' time of day. She could work.

Sounds like Sour grapes to me.

I would probably do what she is doing to be honest. Can't you lighten up?

YANBU. I have a New York colleague who got stuck in the UK on holiday and is now working from our London office.

my dh is stranded with me - he is on his blackberry all the time. I am also missing work and doing none at all - as I don't have a blackberry and only limited internet access.

I also have 5 children to look after (as does dh

I'm anticipating that I will have to take these extra days as leave even though I don't want them and intended to get back to work at the beginninng of this week. Will your colleague have to take these days as leave?

No, I work in education- set holidays and no possibility of taking these days as leave, they are just a bonus for her.

I'd like to point out that I haven't actually asked her to do work (beyond asking her to email me some documents that I think she has with her on her laptop).

Guess I should 'lighten up' but it's hard not to resent it when I have to do her work in my own time.

Pollyanna- your circumstances are very different from my colleague's, I wouldn't resent it at all if she had family to look after and couldn't access work. I feel for you, it must be very frustrating.

I've been doing three people's jobs for the last six months and more or less 'covering' another job as well as my own for 8 years so it's all relative I guess...

I wouldn't have the heart to moan about this personally. It's a few days out of both your working lives, and it's hardly likely to happen ever again. Agree - lighten up!

YANBU. But I don't know how much friction you'd be willing to cause.

Might try politely questioning whether she's made arrangement with your joint boss concerning her workload {thus giving her the hint you think she's being opportunistic and shirking}. She might either claim no way to work, or realise she's not pulling her weight and it isn't going unnoticed.

You could just let her know her work is building up and there will be something of a backlog to work through, but you've put extra time in to help reduce it a bit.

That'll be a 'niggling' reminder {and take some fun out of an extra 10 days off} - especially if you make it known to her later today (Thursday)...

(Or 9 days, if she is working from next Wednesday, not just back from abroad)

At least she won't be distracted with trying to find out about reclaiming extra cost for hotel and meals...

hm, my friend is a headteacher & NOT getting paid for the extra time she's away - she is also using internet via iphone (when she can use it, not always possible where she is) to be as in touch as possible.

her own staff are telling her to stop working cos she's not getting paid, so

YANBU - but how do you know she will get paid? i've never worked in a school where we would.

and in teaching, covering for other people is hugely stressful & time consuming. staff who take a lot of time off are always really resented. of course, if she is usually thoroughly conscientious, you should just let it go.

YANBU if she knows the rest of you are struggling to cover for her.

But... would these people working whilst stranded abroad technically be breaking the terms of their visa in some cases? I have no idea of the answer to this.

" would these people working whilst stranded abroad technically be breaking the terms of their visa in some cases?"

That's a very good point. I know that over here in Australia, if you come out from the UK on a visitors visa then you can't work at all. I know that when DH had to fly to NZ from Oz for 1 business meeting, his work had to get a "business/working" visa for him

(DH was on a UK passport with a working visa for Oz, which didn't cover NZ)

Er, do you know she has her laptop with her? She may not do. I can't say that I used to travel with my laptop or textbooks when I went away in the holidays when I was teaching.

YANBU

This is down to her line manager though. They should have directed her to what she could be doing whilst she is out there, as she clearly doesn't have the initiative to do this herself.

Maybe as she used to the concept of working away from home like that it hasn't occured to her?

sorry I meant isn't used to the concept..

Thanks for all your comments, some good points raised.

I don't think the Visa thing would be a problem in her circumstances but I could see how that might technically be an issue for some.

I know for certain that she has access to a pc/laptop and the internet and therefore could do some work.

And I also don't know for certain that she is getting paid but I imagine I would have heard rumours if she wasn't (my workplace is like that!). Of course I wouldn't expect her to do anything if she wasn't paid, I would feel a lot of sympathy for her.

I'm not going to bother to do much about it, have asked her (very politely) if she can email anything that she might happen to have with her, but that's all. Management aren't interested. I wouldn't mind if it could be done in work time, but it can't, I'll have to find time to fit it in at home. But such is the nature of my job I suppose.

I think it's lovely to hear how someone is actually able to enjoy an extended holiday being stuck somewhere because of the volcano - rather than all the dreadful stories of poor families who have had huge additional costs for hotels etc, or are sleeping on campbeds in airports.

I think perhaps sour grapes on your part - it's a lovely bonus for her and not likely to happen again. Give her a break!

But it also isn't right that you have to do her work at home in your own time. Is this how absences (sick leave etc) are usually covered at your place of work? I'd do what extra I could in the work time but wouldn't be taking it home with me - that's family time & I have other obligations outside of work that come first when I'm not in work (though I do take my work seriously during office hours when I'm not on MN).

Do you really have to cover her work in your own time?

So you and your colleagues will "carry" her workload, and get no thanks for it?

Sad that management are uninterested, it does nothing for morale if they are ready to take you (and your colleagues) for granted like this.

I'd do as little as possible from now on concerning your colleague's workload, and if questioned, say "No gain, no pain - why should I work for free?"

My friends are stranded, they went to buy a laptop so they could work remotely. So yes, is feasible, but if she is away with children and the available computer doesn't belong to her, I find it difficult for her to work.

Lets put it this way, when I'm visiting family I may borrow my mother's computer when she is not working on it (she works on it most of the time), but if DS is around... little chance. More so if we add to that the differences in time use.

kickassangel "she is also using internet via iphone (when she can use it, not always possible where she is) to be as in touch as possible." If she's not getting paid, I'd send her a quick text to get her to check with her mobile network what she is being charged.

If she was in the UK, rates might be as "high" as 2.5p or 3p per MB (that's 25 to 30 quid per GB) or "included" in her monthly contract. On my Three mobile contract I get 1 GB for 50p, but it goes up to 100 pounds if I ever went over the monthly allowance, based on 10p per MB. Charges are definitely eye-watering on some tariffs, and often difficult to spot to boot!

However, if abroad, you can be charged as much as 2 QUID per MB. I saw some "sample costs" the other day on a network website and they hinted that downloading a single music track could cost 12 QUID.

She should do as little online as possible... as she is not being paid, coming home to a 2,000 quid mobile bill would not be fun.

Some student had a bill for 8,000 pounds after going into an Orange shop and explaining s/he would be in France, and being told that it would be OK. Absolute rip-off.

EU controls only work at present on the cost of voice calls, and some MEP is pushing for limits on prices for data.

If your head is outside the UK, the costs would probably be higher and without EU laws to restrict fees.

Downdog "able to enjoy an extended holiday being stuck somewhere because of the volcano"
... and not losing pay, too, twice as enjoyable!

Not sure "sour grapes" covers it - the colleague seems oblivious to the work being done by colleagues, and it's clearly unfair if they get no recompense while she may be getting paid regardless of how little she is doing.

Chandra "She doesn't have children to look after."

Might be worth checking they don't get hit for data costs if they're unable to use a local connection where they are...

I think that nowadays working on the move is pretty standard. In dh's office, they have hot-desks (first come first served) and the rest of the time you work from wherever you happen to be.