Was this a reasonable expectation?

[Vallies]

My work laptop has had a funny turn.

I took it into the office (where I work on a desktop) and IT director said he'd have it ready for when I needed to leave for a meeting. I am not working again until the day I need it for an early meeting.

It wasn't ready when I needed to leave. I could manage today's meeting without it, but not the next one.

Director's solution was for me to pop in and get it between now and then. A 60 minute, and costly round trip.

I'm away so I can't, so I'll have to find a way to manage the meeting without it or go in very early that day to get it (and hope it's fully working), but is it reasonable to expect staff to use their own time like that?

Is there no other laptops you could borrow? A colleague? Your manager? IT normally have a few spares in a cupboard somewhere

Maybe but that wasn't offered as a solution and I really needed do get to the meeting so I couldn't hang around to discuss options.

If you have a way of contacting them I’d ask about a temporary one, especially if there’s a chance yours won’t be fixed in time or isn’t repairable at all.

If that’s not an option see if any colleagues who won’t need theirs for the meeting would be willing to lend you theirs.

You could also ask if they’d post it to you as a compromise, tracked & signed for delivery of course, my previous company did this with a laptop, less than 12 hours door to door. I just signed the release forms electronically and it wasn’t an issue.

Yes, I'll solve the problem of the lap top one way or another.

It was just the way he said, very of matter of fact, pop in and collect it during the week. To me that doesn't feel like a reasonable expectation.

Directors tend to have no work life balance so think nothing of travelling at random and clocking up unpaid overtime etc. Dont take it personally. Just say what you need and ask what IT can do to make it happen. They are a support service.

I really don’t see a one hour round trip as being a problem. But do you have a laptop of your own that you could use instead for the meeting? Or could you use your phone?

In your own time, on a non working day?

It's documents on the network I'll need. I'm not allowed to have them on other devices.

I’d just assume he forgot/ didn’t know you have a lengthy commute tbh. IT directors are not known for being ‘people’ people.

Does the director know where you live? Probably (hopefully) not, as they have no reason to know.
So therefore, maybe the suggestion was from.a place of "I have no idea of your commute ...is this feasible?" No a demand that you do it?

What alternative do you think the director should have proposed instead?

It’s not something I would do,
could they send it by courier?

that’s nice dear but not all of us feel the need to go the extra mile for the same pay.

It’s a one off, extenuating circumstances. Be a big girl and a team player and go and get your laptop.

I take it you don’t have a life outside work.

Ask them to send a working laptop to your home. It's a reasonable request. Just say that you live an hour's drive away and don't have time to come in.

Sending it by courier, surely.

I won't be in the country, so that's a bit tricky.

If I was, why would I want to spend a day of leave going into work?

They could courier it to you! Think laterally.

Oh, you are abroad. Well just too bad then! No laptop.

Can someone from work drop it to your house, if an hour's round trip is no problem?

You never said you were out of the country and you said you could go in early to get it. Classic changing the story when you don’t get the answers you want.

Clearly states that’s she’s away so she can’t get it. It’s not relevant where ‘away’ is. Away means not here. Irrelevant, whether that’s 200 miles away or Ibiza Not sure how that seemed to have missed your sarcastic little thought process.

They should courier it to you, it’s what my company does in similar circumstances.

The question was never about how to get the lap top, I'll work that out one way or another. The question was is it reasonable to expect someone to "just" pop in on a day off.

@shockmethen Of course it’s relevant! How could it be couriered if she’s abroad? The round trip stuff was a title red herring. A courier could easily have done the journey in the uk. It’s just a silly thread!