Assistant ignoring my attempts to contact them

[Beepmeepbeep]

I manage someone at work and my assistant can be a bit flakey and evasive at times but is nice enough. We are currently working from home.

Assistant told me previously that she had arranged to deliver some equipment to another colleague this morning, which I then forgot about. I realised she hadn't done something she was supposed to and messaged to ask her to do it then I remembered her saying about doing the errand so messaged again saying I'd do this work instead and could she check that it's ok when she got back.

Journey would take around 3 hours round trip so I was expecting them back working early afternoon. But it came to after 2pm and I'd heard nothing. So I was a bit worried. I tried phoning her and it was switched off, by now it was gone 3.30pm. Checked with the person they were meeting and was told they arrived mid morning. I then noticed that the message I'd sent this morning had been read. But there's been no response.

So she's seen my message and presumably knows that I was trying to call her and is ignoring me! Is she taking the Mickey? I can now see that she's logged off for the night, no response.

Seriously, it takes two seconds to reply and let me know that a) you're alive and b) the work I did for you is ok. Not sure what to do about this but it's annoying.

Depends on her agreed hours
Does she usually work bank holidays or was this a one off favour?

Was the journey really essential?

As above- are they meant to be working the bank holiday? Maybe they thought would be helpful to deliver the equipment so the other colleague can be up and running tomorrow?

We can choose to work on a bank holiday and take the day off at a later date. She hadn't booked a holiday so was supposed to be working as normal today, 9-5.

Well it wasn't a life or death journey but they needed the equipment asap for work. I only found out about this late on.

It's the lack of communication that's annoying. Maybe she wasn't in a hurry because it was a bank holiday but she was supposed to be at work and I wanted to make sure she was ok.

I’d ask her what happened about the delivery and when she got home and see what she says.
Unless she has evidence of a visit to a garage (or whatever she says held her up) I’d be inclined to think she just went for a stroll in whatever area she was in instead of working and returned home late. Hoping you wouldnt notice.

If she was only in work for a half day then that’s all she’ll be getting back in lieu presumably.

You will have company policies which need to be obeyed to make sure staff are safe. She should have been contactable.

It's a bank holiday weekend in the middle of a pandemic. Is now the time to micromanage?

Is she new? Because the phrase you can choose to work on a bank holiday would make me think unless you actively say "I am working consensus is you are off? And the delivery of the items was helpful?

Agree with killer

What industry are you all in?

Given that all hospitality and leisure is shut, I am interested to see what business this is that needs to work on bank holiday.

Manufacturing pretty quiet too

Was it equipment for clients ?
Are you an O.T?

She's not new. We need to request holidays regardless, she knows that. My feeling is that she spent longer than expected at the other location.

It's in the medical sector yes but saying no more as too outing.