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?

Except I didn't ask for solutions on getting the lap top.

Ok. The answer is yes.

I agree, unreasonable to expect you to collect laptop on your day off. They could get it couriered to you.

Maybe they didn't realise you live so far away? If you were ten mins from office it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Not reasonable unless you live very close by.

What would your proposed solution be?

I imagine that the IT Director doesn’t know where you live nor have any idea how long it takes you to get there, and may not have known that you were going to be on leave.

You see it as unreasonable because it’s an hour’s round trip. But someone who lives 5 minutes away wouldn’t care and would just go and grab it.

So, it’s quite reasonable for you to say “no, I’m not doing that” but equally, it’s not unreasonable for him to have suggested it.

If it's something that happens frequently then, no, it's not reasonable.

As a one-off, and provided your employer is equally as flexible when you need to leave the office early for a meet-the-teacher event or similar, then I'd say it's reasonable.

I'd just go and get my laptop. IMO if you're paid a salary rather than an hourly wage you sometimes just have to suck stuff like this up.

I usually don't like the Mumsnet phrase 'use your words' but never was there a better example of when it is needed. They said pop in, that doesn't work for you, so you have a dialogue about the problem with them and come to a solution that works for everyone.

It depends on the job, your role etc.
But lots of people need to pop into work on a day off, it’s not that uncommon.

Providing they pay overtime and the op is in agreement otherwise no way!
If you accept being treated like a mug, you’ll be treated like a mug - for no extra pay and not get your day off but you do you and others can be sensible.

More fool them

Just say no. You're not in town. But that someone can receive it at your house if they send a courier? He may just have not been thinking and maybe he lives really close to the office himself.
But yeah, just say I need a laptop for this and I cannot come in. It's up to them to get it to you.

If they said ‘pop in and get it on x day’, surely you replied, ‘ah, I’m going abroad and won’t be back until x so need it for the early morning meeting on y’

That makes the point that you won’t come in on your days off as you’ll be away.

What DID you reply?

Some jobs treat people like adults and expect a bit of give and take. Sometimes you'll be asked if you can pop in to deal with an issue outside your normal working hours, sometimes you ask your boss if you can slope off early on a Friday because you're going away.

Other jobs treat you like a school kid and micro-manage your time to the extent that there's absolutely no give and take. If you're used to the latter kind of job I can understand why you would react the way you did to the former.

Actually, often a job where you’re the boss, or have the flexibility to determine your working protocol yourself, leads to people popping in on official days off. It doesn’t mean people are being abused…often it’s an indicator of seniority or flexibility.

@Vallies No. Get a courier!! Standard practice.

Most people would probably not always be away from now until exact moment laptop needed so would then pop into office on a work day (rather than work from home that day And arrange some meetings when there to get best value out of the trip)