Problems with job - no cover when off and part time manager.

[snowheadgirl]

Could anyone give me some advice how to deal with this situation. I dread going back to work after being off on leave as there is no cover for my work queries on a regular basis. I work on my own so no-one else usually becomes involved in my work apart from my line manager - when I have a complicated issue. Therefore when we are both off there is no one to step in who is involved directly and customers get passed around my department - twice recently queries that have become urgent whilst I have been off have ended up being dealt with by the department head manager. Which I am aware does not look good for me. My line manager who usually picks queries up is part-time so invariably things crop up when he if off ill or has a day off.

I am finding this very stressful situation in the current job climate. Any advice. Thanks

Can you train someone else up to cover urgent queries? Or write up some guidelines, if X happens, you need to do A and B, but if it's Y, then do C.

Depends on the nature of your job - but were you to leave, they would have to have some sort of handover or just deal with it, so what stops them in this case? Is it just that they know that you'll be back soon, so can deal with it, or lack of knowledge?

Pretty much all my job is documented - this is mostly so I can look things up if I forget, particularly with processes that aren't used so frequently, but it means everyone else benefits. Also, if I know I'm going to be on-leave, I make sure people involved with active projects have someone they can contact in my absence, and that contact person I will have done a handover with - "If they haven't returned this information by next Friday, please chase them. If they ask about that problem, use the document here to work through it and find out what's going on." It doesn't mean everything is picked up, even when specific people have been tasked with taking it on because some people are lazy wastes of space, and that is annoying, but at least I know it's not because I haven't given them the information they need to do whatever it is.

But there will be some jobs where that sort of handover isn't possible.

ebearhug. Thanks for your response. I could write up some guide lines I suppose but no- one seems to want to take on responsibility of my work that is why it is passed to dept manager - my manager has not put any new structure in place for anyone to feel that it is there responsiblilty to pick my queries up.

Having some guidelines in place will mean no one will be able to say, "I can't do it, I don't know how." But I think you will need to talk to your manager - you should get credit for writing up guidelines, and your manager needs to be involved with making sure your customers are covered when you're away - if no one is picking up the responsibility themselves, then it's a manager's responsibility to make sure some does have that role. The justification should be improving customer service; someone being on leave shouldn't be a reason for them not to have their queries dealt with. But the other benefit is in managing your own stress - you find it stressful, so you have taken action to improve the situation.

thanks again ebearhug. I know that my manager does have responsibilities for my wellbeing which is not being taken into consideration at the moment. I always feel when the head manager becomes involves that it reflects badly on me partly because of how they interact with me in person and by email. Never acknowledging my contribution in any positive way.