Would you just let this go?

[Whentheboatcomein]

I work in a very small team, I do a condensed week and occasionally will log on for 5 minutes on my non working day to check if I’ve got a reply I’ve been waiting on or to action some small things. It’s of my own choice.

One of the men I work with takes it upon himself to notice when I’m logged on and comment on it in-front of our manager. (This is all done via teams) it’s all so very petty. it’s usually just comments veiled as concern for my work life balance. E.g “shouldn’t you be using this time to relax” etc.

However the last time he said “Log off you muppet”

I wish I was less shocked at the time and had said something, but a days gone by now and I’m unsure if I’m being sensitive or if I should be saying something?

any advice is welcome! Thank you

He wrote that down? I think that's strange of him. Could you say something like, 'please don't feel the need to comment when I go online'. Or 'I'm not sure why you often make comments about me logging on, but I would prefer it if you didn't from now on'

Is it not just a poorly thought out joke as in concern for you being online on your day off?

They're being a dick but they just have you on notify when available rather than hunting when you are online

@wobytide I wish that was the case, even if I keep my status as offline and just read the messages on the chat, he checks who has read them and will comment on it if he sees I’ve read it.

@Frbct Yes, it’s wrote down on the Microsoft Teams chat we have with our manager, good suggestions on what to say though, thank you. I’m trying to air on the side of not causing friction, but getting my point across.

Yes he’s being very patronising. Mr Mansplainer clearly thinks he can run your job better than you.

If you see him face to face tell him it’s intrusive so please stop, if you don’t send a separate message to him saying the same.

If he keeps doing it, then message the group ‘David! I’ve asked you not to comment on my working practices.

If that doesn’t work then get your manager to talk to him.

How do you get on with him generally? Our team is small and very friendly, and I would t think twice if someone said that to me in those circumstances, but in a different team with a different dynamic I can see it could be taken badly.

Sake. I'll be on annual leave and still checking Teams, to the extent I get messages from my peers to question my life choices 😂 I get told off 😂

... 'thanks for your concern, but don't let what I'm doing in my own time distract you from your job. I've got my work life balance sorted to my satisfaction. See you Monday ..,..,.

This is perfect

I think he thinks you're working condensed hours (some kind of special treatment in his view) to free up more time for 'relaxing'? I would imagine this isn't the case for you in reality - not that you should have to explain yourself to him.

Checking to see when you've read Teams messages seems very creepy. I think you do need to call him out on it without being too heavy handed - "thanks for the concern but I'm managing my work my way". Honestly WTF does it have to do with him. He's not the work-life balance police.

I work quite a few people who are part-time or on condensed hours. Some are due to caring responsibilities, some not. Many of them will do what you do and pop in on the non-working day just to keep an eye on things. The accepted practice is that you don't contact them on their non-working day expecting a reply, but they're free to do what they like.