should i be annoyed..?

[angel1000]

i am due to go back to work ( I am a senior manager in a large organistion in London) on Monday after a year off. I have remote access so emailed my ( useless) manager to arrange a meeting for a catch up. He emailed me back saying he is on annual leave. I feel so utterly pissed off that after a year off he has to take this day off as leave. I think it is really insulting and unprofessional - am i being unreasonable??

I don't know your exact situation but sorry I think you might be being a bit unreasonable. I am also a senior manager in a large organisation in London and I think it would be very odd for someone to change their holiday plans because it was my first day back .

But then my expectations have been well and truly lowered (only heard from my boss once during maternity leave and I think that was because I told someone I was going to quit)

Good luck with going back!

sorry angel I think you are overreacting. In most organisations once you reach senior management level you are expected to be a bit more autonomous and your relationship with your line manager is usually less immediate and less 'needy'. Presumably your boss is a director or at least 'even more senior' management, in which case finding a day to take off without any negative impact is ime virtually impossible. He may have thought you would be able to cope on your first day back without a catch-up immediately and/or assumed you would be run off your feet catching up with your own team.

He may be useless more generally but I think taking a day annual leave on your first day back is at most a bit annoying, not an insult or unprofessional.

Sorry - best wishes for your return to work though, hope it goes well.

Agree with others. Look at this way, it sounds to me as though he thinks you will cope perferctly well without him!

I agree - but I also think you might be better off giving him a call to say you'd really appreciate time for you to meet to catch up. If he can't meet you, ask him who he would like you to speak to in his absence. Email can be misinterpreted too easily, and since you are aiming at restarting a relationship with your manager, it will run smoother the sooner dialogue starts.

I presume he didn't specify the reason why he is on annual leave?

You don't know why he wants the day off. It could be his wife's birthday. If he cancels she'll be on here saying AIBU.

I think you're being unreasonable. You've had a year off (as is your entitlement)during which time I assume he has let you get on with your life. He has arranged annual leave, which is his entitlement.Let him get on with it.