I?m the head of I.T at a Secondary School (support staff, non-teaching) and am on maternity leave. Now, I have my KIT days, and have arranged a few dates to go into work for specific projects that need my help/an extra body to run. I have no problem in doing that. There is also someone covering my role for me whilst I am on maternity leave, although with not quite as much experience/training as me.
These last few weeks I have had several emails from various staff members asking for my help with ?little? problems. Gradually this seems to have built up, and a few people are asking me if I can ?pop in? or phone them or respond via email to queries etc. I don?t mind doing the odd thing to help out, and I wouldn?t expect to get paid for it (ie like a KIT day) but it seems to be getting out of hand now. Last week I had 4 requests, and this week, I have had 8 such requests from 8 different staff members - one even sent an email to ALL STAFF asking if anyone had my personal mobile number so she could phone me for some help with something. It?s not all small stuff either - one head of faculty asked me to write a proposal for changes to the IT curriculum, and another wanted me to apply for funding for their faculty - jobs that would take several hours/days really.
AIBU to expect to be left alone to a certain extent whilst on maternity, or is this something other people have experienced? I don?t mind being contacted, and I don?t mind helping out, but I think this is a bit much. I don?t have any friends with small babies, so don?t have much knowledge of what?s normal in this situation. Incidentally, DS is 10 months old, but I didn?t start my maternity until Jan of this year, as DH took the first 4 months off. I won?t be starting back at work until December. I?d just be interested to hear your experiences, as if this seems a bit excessive, then I?ll contact the head teacher and ask him to sort it out.
Thanks