Is this too much to ask or is it expected professional courtesy?

[hippywife]

I work in a small office of an only slightly larger department. There is my boss, me, and two other co-workers. (One of them does something entirely different than the other two of us and isn't in the office much.)

So that leaves just the two of us in our office together. Many of our duties overlap, some do not. Anyway, when she schedules time off, she doesn't tell me at all. She never has. I personally don't care why, where, who, what or anything in regards to her time off. What I do like to know and think I have every right to know is WHEN! I need to be able to plan my day, and if she isn't there, where I need to pick up the things that we take turns doing and to be able to work additional duties into my time.

I have discussed this with her and our boss both and neither of them see why this is important to me. They feel I let this make me mad for no reason whatsoever.

Is this really an unreasonable request that I know when I need to carry the duties of our office alone?

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. I don't think it's unreasonable at all. It's just plain courtesy to help out coworkers,

which includes letting them know about absences and time away, coming in late or going early, etc.

[hippywife]

7. That's what I thought to.

I have never done that to anyone in any job I've ever worked. :shrug:

[AwakeAtLast]

2. I think that is only fair

As a teacher, I have to inform the whole school corporation when I need a day off. I think if you go to any office, you have to let those around you know if you are not going to be in on a certain day.

How does your co-worker handle your days off? Do you let them know? I would try a few months of not doing that and see how they handle it!

[hippywife]

5. I always tell her

when I have so much as a doctor's appointment. She is always well informed on when I won't be there and get this...she even writes it down on HER calender when I tell her. So obviously it's important that SHE know.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Your boss has told you that it's unreasonable, therefore it is for this job.

In a better environment, hell ya it would be a reasonable request. In fact, it would be expected by most competent managers.

Since you're outnumbered here, it's up to you to find a way to deal with it on your own. You mentioned that she schedules time off, so the boss must know about it in advance. Leave her out of it and try to explain to the boss that you can be far more productive if you know in advance when you'll be handling the duties alone. Articulate the way it goes on a day when it's an unannounced absence (like a sick day) versus how you would structure the day for a planned absence. If the boss sees why it's advantageous, the boss will share the schedule with you.


eta: your coworker is a clod.

[hippywife]

6. The thing is

my boss is a very sweet and patient lady. With only a few and notable exceptions, none of the people I work with, including her, seem to have any grasp of professional courtesy at all. I don't think any of them have worked in a more professional office environment at all.

My boss knows my co-worker doesn't tell me because we've discussed this before, but what's worse SHE doesn't even tell me. I had a day scheduled off last Monday for some time and found out just before hand that my co-worker also asked for it off after me. She let us both take it off, and said she would cover which would be fine if she didn't also have way more responsibilities than the two of us put together. Then when my co-worker wasn't there again yesterday my boss then told me she took two weeks off, which she didn't tell me when we discussed the Monday issue.

There is a serious lack of communication going on on all levels.

[Gormy Cuss]

9. If you can't convince your boss of why it's better to share the schedule,

you're stuck. It sounds like your boss thinks having chaotic days is better than planning. Not much you can do about that.

[hippywife]

10. Nope.

Thought about taking it to HR but it's such a small place to begin with, I think it would only cause more problems.

So, I think I'm going to start extending her the same courtesies she extends to me. We really only get along on the surface anyway. She one really uptight fundy.

[Call Me Wesley]

4. Professional courtesy

is to tell the co-workers if you're there or not or when you're late or leave early. Everything else is 'we don't care.' Can you change your boss? SheHe doesn't seem to grasp basic business rules.

Or schedule time-off the same time she does and don't tell. ;)

[hippywife]

8. I'm planning on it from now on.

This woman is so freaky private it isn't funny, even about the most inane stuff. And I really don't care except she carries it way to far where it interferes with the job.

[dysfunctional press]

11. how much time off do you people get...?

it seems like a lot.

[hippywife]

12. We get what's called PTO.

Paid time off. It has to include holidays and sick days, too, not just vacation. We don't usually take off much time as a rule so it tends to pile up on us.

[jmm]

13. I've gone through the same thing at work.

The only thing that really helped after I was treated like I was making an issue out of nothing was to start playing by their rules. One time I had requested a week off months in advance and didn't try to brief everybody locally about it as time drew near. I did contact clients and coworkers I deal with often in other business units. Most of the people I work with still don't have a good idea what I do but after that week they know I do quite a bit :D.

The communication isn't as good as I'd like it to be but it has improved since then. I can cover for everybody but covering for me is difficult so my dept is better at asking about my schedule than letting me know about theirs.

[hippywife]

14. Glad they got the message.

Most of what I do she can do and has done, but there is one thing I do that no one there can do, so I schedule time off around that since it's a monthly rather than daily responsibility.