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Original poster

Sleeping through work emails

116 replies

szympli · 12/10/2023 07:58

If a more senior colleague was working on a project and you got asked to help on it… you worked 9am-11:30pm after waking up at 6am for school run. The senior colleague told you to go home. 45 minute journey home. You get into bed at 12:30 and fall fast asleep.

Woke up at 6am for school run to a barrage of missed emails about the work I did. Colleague would have been able to figure it out but obviously would take time. Some of the stuff I told him before I left. I work in finance btw.
Will I be in trouble for missing the emails?

OP posts:
namestevalian · 13/10/2023 00:56

Depends how much you're being paid .....

Harsh reality

Ponderingwindow · 13/10/2023 01:04

I use do not disturb mode on my phone during sleeping hours. Only two contacts are set to go through it automatically and I live with both of them.

daisychain01 · 13/10/2023 05:55

WrongSwanson · 12/10/2023 08:08

Many professions are opted out though .

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Professionals are not "opted out" - at worst they are told to opt out but can decline in law. It is current legislation, any company in the UK that coerces an employee to sign away their rights in law is not an employer anyone should work for.

Commonhousewitch · 13/10/2023 06:34

No- not at that time.
I wouldn't expect to have to figure out someones work though - and it depends what is you were telling him.
It's generally better to do a smaller amount of tasks well (and well includes explanations/instructions)than a bigger amount badly in my view - and sometimes staying late is negative. I have had projects where i spend time correcting stuff i did when i was tired.

I've opted out in every job i've had since the working times directive came in - including Government roles! it isn't really an option but it doesn't automatically mean the company is bad

Startingagainandagain · 13/10/2023 06:41

Get a new job...

If this is a global company that needs to operate 24/7 they need to hire enough people to cover that period in shifts and/or have an out of hours (paid) on call rota in place.

What they should not expect people to work double their hours for free.

We seriously need to look at working conditions in this country...

Firebug007 · 13/10/2023 06:46

WrongSwanson · 12/10/2023 08:08

Many professions are opted out though .

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No you're wrong, you can't opt out, only emergency services usually. Individuals can opt out of the 48 hour working week only but there is still a limit (60 hours), you cannot opt out of the other rules such as time off between shifts.

Firebug007 · 13/10/2023 06:47

Cola2023 · 13/10/2023 00:27

Every banking contract I've ever done is automatically opted out.

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This is illegal

Ginny60 · 13/10/2023 06:47

Oh OP. My husband also works in finance and occasionally does crazy hours but not like this. And he certainly wouldn’t worry about what he missed while asleep after such a day‘s work. This is why it’s a profession where it’s not unknown for young, perfectly healthy people to have a sudden fatal heart attack.

You need a new job. I hope this is very short term.

ICanSeeMyHouseFromHere · 13/10/2023 06:48

Emails can be ignored until work time. They are not an urgent contact medium.

I'm always on call (and I have had 'emergency finance situations' when a card bounced that was for something critical - and these days some services do just switch you off if that happens!), but even I don't care about emails. If it's important they'll ping me directly on slack/whatsapp/whatever or if really really urgent they'll call.

GRex · 13/10/2023 06:49

Email isn't intended for immediate reply, I'm not sure why you think your colleague expected you to reply straight away instead of leaving it until the morning. You did your bit to finish work, then they did their bit to review and write comments, then they sleep while you answer in the morning... it's how we'd usually work with the US. You're most likely fretting because you're overtired. If you need to work this morning to finish things, can you work from home and log off for a nap in the afternoon?

Ginny60 · 13/10/2023 06:57

Startingagainandagain · 13/10/2023 06:41

Get a new job...

If this is a global company that needs to operate 24/7 they need to hire enough people to cover that period in shifts and/or have an out of hours (paid) on call rota in place.

What they should not expect people to work double their hours for free.

We seriously need to look at working conditions in this country...

We seriously need to look at working conditions in this country...

I completely agree. I think it’s going to cost the country in healthcare so I’m not sure why we’re so indifferent. The most high pressure job I did made me transform from someone who took care of themselves in every respect to someone who regularly got by on 4 hours sleep in the week, lived off convenience junk and only exercised when running about at work. It was not sustainable and thank God I left. It paid well but if I divided it by the hours I did, it wasn’t all that at all! And I didn’t have time to spend the money anyway.

supersop60 · 13/10/2023 07:03

You are allowed to sleep.
Your colleague can send as many emails as they like; we're they demanding an immediate answer in the middle of the night?
Can you set an 'out of office' message ?

LlynTegid · 13/10/2023 07:06

Time to look for another job.

Stokey · 13/10/2023 07:24

It's quite normal where I work (gvt) to send out of office hours emails but you're certainly not expected to reply to them. A lot of people have a disclaimer in their signature saying something like I work unpredictable hours but do not expect others to do the same.
Sounds like you did more than expected and can sort out responses to your colleague today.

Elaina87 · 13/10/2023 07:29

He was emailing you over night about work expecting a reply??? No that's ridiculous. I'm guessing you have contracted hours, and you need to sleep.

TorroFerney · 13/10/2023 07:38

FerretFarago · 12/10/2023 08:05

Woking time law you need a minimum 11 hours off between shifts, so if you finished at 11.30 pm should not start work until 12.30 pm next day (if not opted out)

You cannot opt out of the working time directive in relation to gaps between “shifts” and if you were to have an accident on the way home after working so many hours your employer could be liable. Back in the real world, lots of us have pulled these shifts but, bad preparation on the senior persons part, if they thought they needed you they should have said . I’d frame it as what are they going to do though, they can hardly discipline you as then they’d have to admit they were basically directing you to do a 24 hour shift.

ImCamembertTheBigCheese · 13/10/2023 08:02

roarrfeckingroar · 12/10/2023 12:29

😂😂😂😂😂 meanwhile I the private sector

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Totally. The naivety on here is astounding.

Some industries and jobs expect a lot for the salary they pay.

OccultOctopus · 13/10/2023 08:14

As PP said, you cannot opt out of the minimum break periods (11 hours per 24 hours and 24 hours per week or 48 hours per fortnight - all must be uninterupted).

There are some exempt professions (eg health care).

WrongSwanson · 13/10/2023 08:17

ImCamembertTheBigCheese · 13/10/2023 08:02

Totally. The naivety on here is astounding.

Some industries and jobs expect a lot for the salary they pay.

Show quote history

I know. I'm astounded.

Of course in a basic job you are going to ensure these rights are protected.

But does anyone genuinely think that if you are being paid vast amounts of money you're going to be going to your boss to remind them it's time for a rest break now?

Pigeon31 · 13/10/2023 08:22

Some people do like to do emails in the middle of the night, but if they know those are not your normal working hours, they will absolutely not expect an immediate reply (or anything until normal working hours commence).

We have all been encouraged to use scheduled send so that no emails get sent at all before 8am with the understanding that some people do get up early and do work emails as part of their daily schedule, but it shouldn't be a tool to hassle others.

Beautifulish · 13/10/2023 08:27

I don't look at anything when I'm not working, ever. I'm always willing to help out in a crisis/if it's something they really need me for, but they know they need to ring to get my attention - which they do rarely.

It would have to a be proper life or death situation before anyone called between an 11:30 pm finish and and early morning start though.

Where I work now, all the senior management have email sigs along the lines of, "I work irregular hours that suit my work life balance, I do not expect you to respond outside your normal working hours"

At my last place we actually had a ban on email between 7pm and 7am

Middlelanehogger · 13/10/2023 08:34

The "I do not expect a response out of hours" messages annoy me tbh. People should take responsibility for their own boundaries. Emails out of hours (whether that means 9-5 in your job, or 9-midnight) already don't require a reply by default. If I send an email without that as a signature/footer I still don't expect a reply!

On my phone I have my notifications set up to not get work email notifications after 10pm - I can see them if I manually log in to the app but they don't come in as pop-ups. It's the kind of thing that should be controlled by the receiver as they're the ones who know their own working hours.

Beautifulish · 13/10/2023 08:53

Middlelanehogger · 13/10/2023 08:34

The "I do not expect a response out of hours" messages annoy me tbh. People should take responsibility for their own boundaries. Emails out of hours (whether that means 9-5 in your job, or 9-midnight) already don't require a reply by default. If I send an email without that as a signature/footer I still don't expect a reply!

On my phone I have my notifications set up to not get work email notifications after 10pm - I can see them if I manually log in to the app but they don't come in as pop-ups. It's the kind of thing that should be controlled by the receiver as they're the ones who know their own working hours.

Yes, but some people feel pressure to reply, as OP, so it makes it clear it's not expected. Especially when it's a big big boss who maybe you don't know personally.

TheFireflies · 13/10/2023 09:08

Middlelanehogger · 13/10/2023 08:34

The "I do not expect a response out of hours" messages annoy me tbh. People should take responsibility for their own boundaries. Emails out of hours (whether that means 9-5 in your job, or 9-midnight) already don't require a reply by default. If I send an email without that as a signature/footer I still don't expect a reply!

On my phone I have my notifications set up to not get work email notifications after 10pm - I can see them if I manually log in to the app but they don't come in as pop-ups. It's the kind of thing that should be controlled by the receiver as they're the ones who know their own working hours.

I agree with PP that this is said just as a reminder to take any pressure off those people who may feel obliged to reply or guilty for not being at work to read them. I often send emails outside of “normal” working hours, in part because I work compressed hours so longer days, and in part because I often work those hours later in the evening due to being a night owl, or in chunks with breaks (I set my own hours, effectively, to suit me). I wouldn’t want any colleague to see I’d emailed them at 10pm and think this is normal and what everyone should be doing.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 13/10/2023 12:42

It's like FX traders. Work at a very high level of salary and bonus for a few years, then leave (if you time it right) before burning out. Some people absolutely thrive on that pressure.