Part time issue

[Gardenwalldilema]

I work alongside a colleague, we both do the same work but with different people. We understand each others role as its the same, but our workloads are quite distinct, so she doesn't know my contacts well, nor mine hers.

On my non working days the manager, or his manager, will sometimes have queries about something to do with my work; these are not urgent issues, and could certainly wait until I'm back online.

Three times now my colleague has been asked to find out things from my contacts, her approach is very different to mine and she's ruffled lots of feathers, and I come back to enormous, unnecessary email chains.

How do I approach this with my manager? He must think his queries are important but must realise they are not urgent. Its creating lots of extra work for me, and frankly I wish he'd just email me and await my response.

Working part time seems to be incompatible with the role in his eyes, and it's making me feel as though I need to check my emails regularly on my days off.

I don’t think there is anything to approach. If you manager wants to find something out then that is his prerogative, if the emails are unnecessary then don’t read them.

I would be inclined to think you telling him to wait until you are back would be counter productive if you have concerns that he already thinks you working part time is not compatible with the role (which I didn’t get the sense of by the way).

Three times doesn't seem a lot tbh, and not worth raising just now. I would think it more unusual to be told to wait until the employee was back.

Is this a recent change to part-time for you OP? I don't think you need to check your emails on your days off at all, but I don't think you need to feel sensitive about working part-time either. Having said that, there will always be things that crop up on the days you are not working and will be dealt with by someone else, and that can take some getting used to if you would prefer to deal with it yourself.

Thank you both very much, seems I'm being a bit ridiculous

I think I'm just touchy as this has never really happened before and it was twice last week, and once the week before, so it seems like a sudden escalation.

I've been part time for a few years and its always worked well, but I'm starting to feel compelled to check in on days off, maybe its the wfh thing, boundaries seem very blurred.

I completely disagree with above posters. Strongly.
Is she abrasive, rude? She's ruffled feathers. This should be bought to your managers attention because it's damaging.

@Oblomov21

I completely disagree with above posters. Strongly. Is she abrasive, rude? She's ruffled feathers. This should be bought to your managers attention because it's damaging.

Try bringing it to your colleagues attention first, if you can be measured.

She's jus very different in her approach, just more assertive maybe, and it's at odds with the way I work, so the contacts get a bit ruffled I guess. So I couldn't really broach it with her, as it's just the way she is.
We work at a fairly senior level and lots of the role is relationship management.
Maybe I can speak with manager and see if he wants any sort of update on my last working day to have a handover, maybe we need a new way of working together.

* I completely disagree with above posters. Strongly. Is she abrasive, rude? She's ruffled feathers. This should be bought to your managers attention because it's damaging.*

^This. Your colleague is upsetting your clients. This isn’t good for your company. You need to rest this to your manager

@Gardenwalldilema

She's jus very different in her approach, just more assertive maybe, and it's at odds with the way I work, so the contacts get a bit ruffled I guess. So I couldn't really broach it with her, as it's just the way she is. We work at a fairly senior level and lots of the role is relationship management. Maybe I can speak with manager and see if he wants any sort of update on my last working day to have a handover, maybe we need a new way of working together.

This is weird. You are both at senior management level in a relationship based role yet you are both shit at relationship management - you are both failing in your roles! Get a bloody grip and deal with the situation - this is supposed to be your strength ffs!

@Hairymoohead thanks, I love that reply. We both do manage our contacts well, but when she gets into mine she seems to annoy them, then I have to bloody smooth it over. Which is why I wish she wouldn't. But she's just following instructions, so I guess I'm stuck with it.

[quote Gardenwalldilema]**@Hairymoohead* thanks, I love that reply. We both do* manage our contacts well, but when she gets into mine she seems to annoy them, then I have to bloody smooth it over. Which is why I wish she wouldn't. But she's just following instructions, so I guess I'm stuck with it.[/quote]
If you came to us with this issue - we'd find you both responsible for the outcome and we'd expect both of you to solve it - at senior management level = we'd consider both of you to have failed for allowing this to happen.

"But she's just following instructions, so I guess I'm stuck with it."

Why are you so blasé?
Your colleague upsets your clients when she deals with them.
Your manager is rubbish if he won't deal with it.