Rant: I'm on vacation, I'm dead to the world.

[fullmetaljesus]

This may be more whining than ranting.

I told my team last week. I'm on vacation starting at Friday at 5pm. I don't know you, you don't know me, I'm dead.

Day 1 of my vacation, a guy on my team texts me at 11pm "are you still awake?"
I replied "I am"

He then asks me a stupid ass question he should know the answer to, or at least be able to google it.

I replied "you are texting me to ask a question that you can easily Google?"
I also provided the answer to his question.

He responded he's sorry to bug me and that he spend half an hour looking for the answer. I knew it off the top of my head, he should know it too.

So I googled it, found a page with the answer on it in 2 minutes and then send him the link along with a note saying "2min"

I specifically told them all I'm dead, and there are several people on the team he could have reached out to before me.

Wtf leave me alone this is my first proper vacation in 4 years.


Ffs.

 

[BigRed]

You're on vacation and dead to the world....

Why post about it?


When I leave, all devices go into a metal box.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

You're on vacation and dead to the world....

Why post about it?


When I leave, all devices go into a metal box.

Sadly no place to go so I'm just staying home and smoking cigars in my boxers and watching tv. Did go kayaking today though.

Next week I'll work on kicking off my side hustle and generally buming around.

 

[BigRed]

Sadly no place to go so I'm just staying home and smoking cigars in my boxers and watching tv. Did go kayaking today though.

Next week I'll work on kicking off my side hustle and generally buming around.

Not getting the sail boat out?

 

[Cameramonkey]

Your response should have been "no." Then turn your phone off. LOL

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Not getting the sail boat out?

Decided it was too small for my needs.

I bought it for $900, and sold it for $1200.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Your response should have been "no." Then turn your phone off. LOL

Right after I replied I kinda face palmed.
Any further texts from the team I'll ignore or reply "I'm dead"

 

[Alpo]

If you are unable to turn your phone off, and you are "really" dead to your team, block their access (email/phone #) to you for a week. About 15 min's work max.

One of the reasons I got out of corporate life was the implied slavery.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

So don't respond to them.

 

[hoosierdoc]

So don't respond to them.

New phone,.who dis?

Really though he's just a guy who is competent and wants the job done right. I can relate. I stay late so the right thing happens so often it makes me irritated at myself and my job.

But it's the right thing to do. So is quitting when they **** you off to the point you can"t take it.

Such is life

 

[wtburnette]

If you're the manager, I think you need to look into remedial training when you return. Otherwise, meh, let them figure it out on their own.

 

[foszoe]

You can tell this is a male-dominated for him. When someone is ranting they just want to be heard they don't want to be fixed ask any woman.

 

[KG1]

Should've said. "I left google in charge. Go wake google up"

 

[churchmouse]

If you're the manager, I think you need to look into remedial training when you return. Otherwise, meh, let them figure it out on their own.

And this is how they learn. We have not made them struggle. Google etc has the entire worlds l knowledge at the stroke of a finger on the palm of your hand. Problem solving skills are vanishing as we watch.

 

[cburnworth]

I took a week off when we had our first child, everyone in the office was fine with figuring it out except my supervisor. He kept telling everyone to call me. Fortunately no one called me. I feel that unless it is a super dire emergency and no one could possibly have the answer I will never call someone while they are on vaca ( unless of I didn't know they were on vaca). And absolutely nothing wrong with sitting around and enjoying a few cigars!

 

[wtburnette]

When I worked IT support, I started making sure internet search skills was part of an interviewees skillset, as well as my employees. Looking up the numbers from a BSOD or other error message is pretty simple. In the old days it was looking things up in manuals, today it's all online. Critical thinking skills are, well, critical. There are times to reach out to the subject matter experts, or management, but that should be one of the last options. Reminds me of my stepson when he was little. He'd say he couldn't find something and I'd say to go look. He'd run off and come back in 2 minutes saying he looked everywhere but couldn't find it. I'd make him come with me when I went to look, so we actually did look everywhere. When we found whatever it was, I told him the next time I wanted him to look for it the way I did. I don't know if it's lack of education, lack of critical thinking skills, lack of on the job training, or what, but I notice a lot of employees who can't be bothered to figure things out on their own.

 

[MCgrease08]

If you don't value your own time, no one is going to do it for you.

I have a personal phone and a work phone. When I am on vacation the laptop and work phone stay at home. My out of office message says plainly, I am on vacation and will not be responding to email or calls. If you need something, call my manager.

Only my manager has my personal number and he knows only to call if it's like an end of the world emergency, which in my line of work, isn't really a thing.

I have worked very hard over the years to set that expectation that I am not going to respond immediately to every little thing. It's worked well for me so far. My time with my family is more important than a co-worker's question.

 

[Jeepster48439]

When I worked IT support, I started making sure internet search skills was part of an interviewees skillset, as well as my employees. Looking up the numbers from a BSOD or other error message is pretty simple. In the old days it was looking things up in manuals, today it's all online. Critical thinking skills are, well, critical. There are times to reach out to the subject matter experts, or management, but that should be one of the last options. Reminds me of my stepson when he was little. He'd say he couldn't find something and I'd say to go look. He'd run off and come back in 2 minutes saying he looked everywhere but couldn't find it. I'd make him come with me when I went to look, so we actually did look everywhere. When we found whatever it was, I told him the next time I wanted him to look for it the way I did. I don't know if it's lack of education, lack of critical thinking skills, lack of on the job training, or what, but I notice a lot of employees who can't be bothered to figure things out on their own.

They were never taught critical thinking. I used to teach engineering classes and watch students struggle with homework questions. The homework questions didn't come from the text. They usually came from the question bank for engineering licensing exams.

The biggest complaint from students was that there were no example problems in the book that were like the homework questions. As a result they struggled.

Students could memorize and regurgitate, but they didn't understand the why or the how.

 

[femurphy77]

One year I soloed to Cancun, before I left I gave the same instructions as the OP. The difference being I turned off my phone and left it in the safe for the duration of the trip.

When I returned from Mexico I had a meeting with my "leader" about the unbusiness like vm message I had left on MY PERSONAL phone while I was away. It was a simple "sorry I can't speak right now yadda, yadda, yadda" but I mixed in a conversation of a VERY personal note with an imaginary senorita seeing to my every need whilst I laid in a hammock on an intimate beach before assuring them I'd return their call if I thought about it later.

This humorous message was heard by several people in fairly high positions of authority. Of course after that my "leader" never gave out my personal cell number again. (I had a company phone at the time for you know, company business.)

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

New phone,.who dis?

Really though he's just a guy who is competent and wants the job done right. I can relate. I stay late so the right thing happens so often it makes me irritated at myself and my job.

But it's the right thing to do. So is quitting when they **** you off to the point you can"t take it.

Such is life

I know. I answer calls/texts/emails from my people when I'm not working. The wife cusses me when I do, but I would rather take the time to assist them than have them go to someone else that will half-ass help them.