AIBU to want to start taking it a little easier

[JamieJay]

sorry it's long! Need to offload

Too much of a coward to put this in the proper AIBU!!

35 weeks pregnant, have two weeks left in work with 7 actual working days.

My replacement started two weeks ago (I wasn't involved in their recruitment) and whilst they've picked up the majority of my role they've no real experience of a key element (boss was aware of this work but appears not to have challenged them at interview).

I'm now having to prepare a lot of extra hand over notes and implement new fall back processes to cover the gaps in their ability, obviously creating a lot of work I wasn't expecting at a time that I'm finding pregnancy increasingly difficult and hot!

Nothing I can do about that but my real gripe is the fact that my boss and a host of colleagues are still coming to me with problems rather than the new person because 'it's easier' to quote my boss. Replacement seems happy with this approach as it means I have to explain (for the fifth time) exactly what they need to do rather than them use their iniative and working it out based on the hand over / briefings / notes I've done.

AIBU to want to try and slow down a little bit in my last fortnight or should I really be going hell for leather until the moment I leave the office.

I haven't allowed pregnancy to effect my productivity and have actually been covering another role on top of mine since Easter with no complaints.

From a purely emotional and physical POV, I totally understand how you want to be taking it easier at 35 weeks.

However, it's not clear if you are unhappy because you are taking on MORE work than you had arranged/expected (which would be unfair) - or, if you are just resenting the amount of work you have, even if it falls inside what might reasonably be expected of you. IYSWIM.

I think handovers pre-maternity leave often don't go smoothly. Some like you might not feel work is being taken off your plate enough - others have posted on here about feeling marginalised and under-used coming up to their leaving date. And it depends on the job. Low skilled shift work is very easy to share. More skilled project-based work is a lot harder to manage satisfactorily.

I'm currently 36 weeks pregnant with my 1st, self employed, and working 7 days a week, owing to 2 different projects having slipped dates on their schedules (thank GOD I've no other children to look after as well). I'll be stopping the day before my due date. It's tiring and upsetting, and I really wish things were different (I could drop one project and get some more time back, but it would be damaging professionally and I'd lose about a year's worth of earnings at this stage). I'm also going to strangle the next well meaning person who asks if I'm on 'maternity leave' yet.

I try and placate myself with the thought that once the work is done, it's done! And it's not long to go now. We're in different situations but that's true for both of us (I assume you can take some time off after your baby is born).

Thanks for giving some perspective barkfox, I realise that others have it harder than me, guess I just need to whinge On the bright side I am able to take 9 months maternity leave so once I'm gone I'm gone.

My work is fairly skilled and I think the key issue for me is the fact my boss/ colleagues just won't engaged with my replacement until they have to because it's easier to leave it to me for as long as possible.

I guess I want to focus on finishing up the more skilled work I can't give my replacement rather than spending time on the more general work they are perfectly capable of doing if people would just talk to her rather than using me as go between.

The thought of walking away with stuff unfinished and no hand over notes is stressing me out at the moment .

9 months maternity leave is fab and definitely something to bear in mind through your current frustrations (I'm hoping to take a while off too, which should be the pay off for this daft period I'm in now. I've never whinged as much about work as I have in the last week, but yes, there is a positive side to look forward to).

That said, I hope everyone at your work is very clear that when you're on leave, you're on leave, and they can't ask you what to do then! I think your instincts are prob spot on, and for as long as it's easier to deal with you, they will do. Which is annoying in itself, but it's not unheard of for women on maternity leave to be rung by work to 'just quickly ask' something. Which would make me flip my little lid....

when you go on mat leave make yourself unavailable.the replacement and boss will have to copy.and to be honest maybe she needs to be immersed in post to start to understand it

hope all goes well
dont sweat it about work
off means off.doesnt mean take calls or queries

Thanks both, I'm trying to forget the fact my colleagues have both my mobile number and home email address.

A number of them have been quite clear in their belief that maternity leave doesn't start properly until the baby arrives so any time I have before then is disturbable. Think I will be ignoring certain phone calls!

ignore em and they have to figure it out!enjoy your mat leave

They can't hassle you at home! As the others have said, just ignore them. If you get any queries, I would just refer them to your replacement every time. Don't make exceptions or you'll be working up to when you give birth and will be exhausted.

And in the meantime, I would tell your boss that you expect everyone to start going to your replacement now or you won't have time to complete the extra hand-over notes needed because of the gap in their knowledge!

Poor you! Everytime that someone comes straight to you (because it's 'easier'), be very firm about stopping them, calling your replacement over/into the room and say that you will help them, but only with your replacement present so that she can pick up on what you do more easily. Just be very firm about getting your replacement involved every time.

I had this! In the end I just referred everything to my maternity cover so that I was able to help her if she got stuck - so whenever someone came with a query I would just turn to her and say 'how would you deal with this?'. If anyone tried to direct it to me more insistently I would say that I needed to ensure mat cover was comfortable dealing with these and this was art of her training

when i left on ML I tried to hand my blackberry back but was told to keep it but not use it for work purposes during my leave (???). I check it once a week and forward my emails to mat cover. I screen my calls and just check voicemail but they havent been too bad. Think they realise it would be quicker to go to mat cover than wait for me to call back!

Just so you know - once your maternity leave starts your place of work isn't actually ALLOWED to contact you, unless it has been pre-arranged or if it involves redundancy or a big announcement - if they do they are breaking maternity laws.
HTH.xx