Page 2 | Colleague emailing during annual leave...

Greenartywitch · 2025-05-09T09:12:30+00:00

I had two days off this week and noticed today that one of my colleagues emailed me (work email) something in the line of ''I know you are on annual leave but would you be able to send me a copy of X''. Why was the point of that? I am on leave and I don't log into my work emails on my days off. I am also pissed off because I made a point in our weekly team meeting on the day before my leave that I would be away for two days and to ask for anything urgent before I signed off that day. That (male, middle aged) colleague has form in asking things at the last minute and also seem to think that his needs should be prioritised and I must say I am really starting to have enough of this. How would you reply to his request/email? The wider issue is that the organisation has chosen to have only one person (myself) looking after an entire function and to make the role part-time so it is not uncommon that requests cannot be answered immediately anyway...

PiddlingInMyPants · 09/05/2025 11:04

For my Easter leave this year, I set my auto-reply saying that I don't respond to emails sent to me while I am on leave.

It didn't go down too well but I'm not backing down. We have Outlook where you can schedule to send an email in the future. My return date is clear in my auto-reply so no reason colleagues can't just set the email to send when I'm back.

Notchangingnameagain · 09/05/2025 11:04

Hamandpineapplepizza · 09/05/2025 11:03

I assumed op saw the email once she was back at work?

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Yeah I misread the OP!

Gahdammit · 09/05/2025 11:07

Why would a colleague email me when they know I'm on leave? The question should be "why are you checking your emails when you are on leave?" especially when you (rightly) have no intention of responding.

I'm sorry to say that no employee is THAT important that a business can't survive a week without them.

ETA - unclear if you are back now. In which case just send an email saying "I was on leave but here is the report you asked for". If you're still on leave either ignore it or if you want to encourage people to email you when you're on leave and expect a reply from you say "I'm on leave but so and so can send it to you or I'll send it when I'm back".

Zezet · 09/05/2025 11:07

PiddlingInMyPants · 09/05/2025 11:04

For my Easter leave this year, I set my auto-reply saying that I don't respond to emails sent to me while I am on leave.

It didn't go down too well but I'm not backing down. We have Outlook where you can schedule to send an email in the future. My return date is clear in my auto-reply so no reason colleagues can't just set the email to send when I'm back.

If you were in my staff I would firmly tell you to cut that out if it "didn't go down too well" in my team.

You are asking people to pfaff around with delayed delivery because you won't touch emails sent during your absence? Unless you are in a job where 95% of emails are time sensitive and you get 100+ a day, that is ridiculous.

Such nonsense of having everyone work around one person's stand-out preference.

MrsSunshine2b · 09/05/2025 11:09

Our OOOs always say "I will have no access to my emails. This email has not been forwarded." I'd try that in future.

MuggleMe · 09/05/2025 11:09

I would definitely email to ask if he still needs it, and definitely not apologize.

rosemarble · 09/05/2025 11:26

Zezet · 09/05/2025 11:07

If you were in my staff I would firmly tell you to cut that out if it "didn't go down too well" in my team.

You are asking people to pfaff around with delayed delivery because you won't touch emails sent during your absence? Unless you are in a job where 95% of emails are time sensitive and you get 100+ a day, that is ridiculous.

Such nonsense of having everyone work around one person's stand-out preference.

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I'm not sure Piddling means she never ever replies to emails received during her leave ie that she deletes them all, or that she's not replying to them while she is on leave.

If the former then I agree with you, but I think it might be the latter.

PiddlingInMyPants · 09/05/2025 11:28

Zezet · 09/05/2025 11:07

If you were in my staff I would firmly tell you to cut that out if it "didn't go down too well" in my team.

You are asking people to pfaff around with delayed delivery because you won't touch emails sent during your absence? Unless you are in a job where 95% of emails are time sensitive and you get 100+ a day, that is ridiculous.

Such nonsense of having everyone work around one person's stand-out preference.

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If I was more junior, I'd change my auto-reply in response to that but just carry on doing it anyway 😂

Fortunately, I'm very senior in a very autonomous role, so don't have anyone firmly telling me anything.

rosemarble · 09/05/2025 11:29

Gahdammit · 09/05/2025 11:07

Why would a colleague email me when they know I'm on leave? The question should be "why are you checking your emails when you are on leave?" especially when you (rightly) have no intention of responding.

I'm sorry to say that no employee is THAT important that a business can't survive a week without them.

ETA - unclear if you are back now. In which case just send an email saying "I was on leave but here is the report you asked for". If you're still on leave either ignore it or if you want to encourage people to email you when you're on leave and expect a reply from you say "I'm on leave but so and so can send it to you or I'll send it when I'm back".

Edited

I will send an email knowing someone is on leave. NOT with any expectation that they read or reply, but because it's easier for me to send something when it's on my mind, rather than note it down to send when they're back. It's on the recipient to not read it.

OP did not check her emails while she was on leave, she is back at work and read the email then.

gillefc82 · 09/05/2025 11:33

PiddlingInMyPants · 09/05/2025 11:04

For my Easter leave this year, I set my auto-reply saying that I don't respond to emails sent to me while I am on leave.

It didn't go down too well but I'm not backing down. We have Outlook where you can schedule to send an email in the future. My return date is clear in my auto-reply so no reason colleagues can't just set the email to send when I'm back.

I’m not surprised you’ve had backlash on this as I think this is unreasonable unless the only people sending you emails are those who already know you are on leave and are choosing to send emails anyway?

Assuming for most that logistically giving advance notification of annual leave to anyone who possibly may email you is not feasible, the first they will know of you being out of office is when they receive your OOO bounce back to their email.

minnienono · 09/05/2025 11:37

I get dozens when I’m off, I ignore them unless I’m feeling like checking them (charity). Just don’t look

Springtimehere · 09/05/2025 11:39

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Zezet · 09/05/2025 11:51

PiddlingInMyPants · 09/05/2025 11:28

If I was more junior, I'd change my auto-reply in response to that but just carry on doing it anyway 😂

Fortunately, I'm very senior in a very autonomous role, so don't have anyone firmly telling me anything.

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To be fair, if you've had earned the political capital to do that as a senior, more power to you!

TorroFerney · 09/05/2025 11:56

CRbear · 09/05/2025 10:14

pretend you haven’t seen it

…and don’t look at your emails on annual leave again. Kindly, you brought this one on yourself!

Yep, you can’t stop people doing it. Just reply when you are back in. Some people do check their emails on leave.

CoastalCalm · 09/05/2025 11:57

I think he was just doing it while he remembered so you could send it when you got back from leave - don’t see the big deal

BreakfastClubBlues · 09/05/2025 12:08

I can't imagine getting annoyed about someone sending me an email.

Obviously it's role dependent but I send emails to give/ request information when needed and convenient for me. I wouldn't expect someone not at work to reply, but they might choose to.

What's the drama 🤷🏽‍♀️

GnomeDePlume · 09/05/2025 12:18

Something I have learnt to do is put my OOO reply on during the day before I go on leave.

This stalls the blame shifting emails where someone sends you a request for something at 4.59pm on the day before you go on leave. They know you haven't time to deal with it but if their boss asks they can say they sent it to you before you went away......

I got someone back for this once, they had sent me a request for something. They got my OOO but I sent over the piece of work requested. Cue panic on their side as now they couldn't hide behind me being away.

Original poster

Greenartywitch · 09/05/2025 14:56

Thank you again for the comments and suggestions on how to act.

To answer some of the comments, as already mentioned, I did not check my emails while I was on leave and saw his emails when back at work.

''I can't imagine getting annoyed about someone sending me an email.
Obviously it's role dependent but I send emails to give/ request information when needed and convenient for me. I wouldn't expect someone not at work to reply, but they might choose to. What's the drama 🤷🏽‍♀️''

You are missing the point. He sent an email chasing something after he had already received an out of office notice and wrote 'I got your out of office reply but can you...'' and I can see as well that he tried to call me through Teams too.

So the 'drama' is that someone is chose to ignore the fact that I was on leave and expected me to reply.

It is not about someone sending an email, it is about the expectation I should be responding even when not working which is a different matter entirely.

OP posts:

Maddy70 · 09/05/2025 15:32

Just ignore it

MammaTo · 09/05/2025 15:39

I have done this but only because I have a memory like a sieve and if I don’t do something there and then, I forget. I’ve told my manager this and she’s happy for me to continue.

MammaTo · 09/05/2025 15:40

Greenartywitch · 09/05/2025 14:56

Thank you again for the comments and suggestions on how to act.

To answer some of the comments, as already mentioned, I did not check my emails while I was on leave and saw his emails when back at work.

''I can't imagine getting annoyed about someone sending me an email.
Obviously it's role dependent but I send emails to give/ request information when needed and convenient for me. I wouldn't expect someone not at work to reply, but they might choose to. What's the drama 🤷🏽‍♀️''

You are missing the point. He sent an email chasing something after he had already received an out of office notice and wrote 'I got your out of office reply but can you...'' and I can see as well that he tried to call me through Teams too.

So the 'drama' is that someone is chose to ignore the fact that I was on leave and expected me to reply.

It is not about someone sending an email, it is about the expectation I should be responding even when not working which is a different matter entirely.

You missed the part about the OOF from your OP. It just said that he acknowledged you was on holiday.

Talipesmum · 09/05/2025 15:46

pretty sure I’d just reply with the item and no further comment. If he wanted it earlier he should have planned better.

But if you do want to raise it, reply with the thing he asked for, and add “as I mentioned in the team meeting last week I was on leave, I won’t be able to check or follow up on requests while I’m out so please ensure you bring any urgent requests to me before I head out another time”.

Brefugee · 09/05/2025 15:52

Bring it up at the next team meeting. No names but outline the behaviour and ask management to put a stop to it.

FumbDucker · 09/05/2025 15:55

Total CF behaviour from an entitled Middle Aged male - no surprise but still rage bait.

Just take comfort in the fact he didn’t get what he expected for once 👏

IdaGlossop · 09/05/2025 16:01

A less combative OOO is: 'I'm on leave from x to y, and will be reading and responding to emails on my return on z.'

If I were your manager, I would support you fully in not answering (and reading!) emails when on leave BUT I would let you know that I wasn't impressed with your 'I'm not backing down' attitude.