Notifying other offices of my loo breaks?

[xkcdfan]

Hi there,

I'm quite new to Mumsnet so sorry for any breaches of etiquette in advance.

I know this is not huge in the grand scheme of things, but I work in a small office where quite often I'm left to "man the fort" as it were. Because the team spend so much time out of the office, I end up dealing with all the administration and answering phones.

Luckily, we don't get a great number of calls as people go straight to mobiles now. However, I have been told by my boss (who is also in charge of this office) that I need to transfer the office's phones to another office and send an e-mail to EVERYONE at the company to let them know that I have left my desk.

Obviously, I find it very embarrasing having to tell everyone when I have to go to the loo (especially at "that time of the month") and forward phones elsewhere.

I have been cheeky so far i.e. if someone mentions that there was no pickup, I say that "oh, I must have been on the other line, I'm sorry I didn't reach you in time" but seriously, where do I stand on this?

Thanks and I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks.

If it were me, I'd be sending the group email, stating that I was urinating or defecating (whichever) every single time I left the room, perhaps interspersed with emails to everyone that I'd just stood up to scratch my arse or look at a bird so wasn't at my desk.

See how long it lasts before they change the rules.

OR, a grownup might just ask if they mean including toilet breaks.

You switch the phones as requested.

You notify as requested (no, you don't have to give reasons, just "AFK" and "back". Collect feedback, collate it and present it tothe boss with recommendations for a better system the meets the business need of phones always being answered.

So sorry everyone for accidentally multi-posting - I kept getting an error message. I'll ask the mods to remove the other posts!

Thanks Uri - my boss actually said that it included when I left for loo breaks. I was a bit shocked because I thought he was joking at first and laughed but he was serious. When I worked in a supermarket I had to put my light on and get someone to cover me on the checkout...certainly not notifying my team mates!

Thanks for the suggestion Meditrina - but trying to think of alternatives in a small firm is difficult as understandably anything that involves cost or a non-admin answering the phone is not a viable option here: it's worse when the phones for the other offices are forwarded through to me as well. I try to get it all in my lunch break but nature does call.

Voicemail? Forward to someone else's phone when you have to be somewhere else? What happens right now if you are already on the phone, does it automatically forward to someone else's number?

Or forward it to your own mobile so you can multi-task (joke! joke!!)
'Echo-ey line you say? Must be at your end Mr X, I can hear - whoooosh - you clearly here'.

(Sorry to mock. Work was winding me up today.)

Diverting calls if you leave the office - that's reasonable. But what is the purpose/benefit of e-mailing your movements? (sorry, no pun intended). Are you a point of contact for visitors?