We have started a new segment allowing managers to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is: How do I keep employees from contacting me while on Vacation?
QUESTION: How do I keep my employees from contacting me 24/7 while I’m on vacation? They know that they can contact me if I take a sick day or am out of the office for a day. However, during an extended vacation they have another manager they can contact.
We have gone over this multiple times but they continue to contact me for everything. They forward work calls to my cell phone, constantly calling to ask questions and complain about each other. Last time I turned my phone off we lost a client and I got in trouble from my boss. I feel like I’m managing a kindergarten when I’m away and I NEVER get to be fully disconnected from my job. I have talked to them, the other manager has talked to them but they continue to call. What can I do to get this to stop?
ANSWER: If you have addressed the situation before and nothing changed then to make it stop you may need to take it as far as a corrective action. Of course, I would not start there. You need paper trail, so start by having ONE more meeting. You need to make it very clear to your employees exactly who they should contact when you are out of the office and give in writing the chain of command.
Give them one person in the office that has access to contacting you (probably the other manager). Work calls, complaints, etc. should be sent to the designated person when you are away. This person will determine if it is necessary to contact you. Put it in writing that you have had this conversation and make everyone sign it saying they understand. If it happens again, that is when you start the corrective action process.
Please contact us if you have a question you want answered. We will feature one frequently asked question a month.
We have started a new segment allowing managers to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is: How do I keep employees from contacting me while on Vacation?
QUESTION: How do I keep my employees from contacting me 24/7 while I’m on vacation? They know that they can contact me if I take a sick day or am out of the office for a day. However, during an extended vacation they have another manager they can contact.
We have gone over this multiple times but they continue to contact me for everything. They forward work calls to my cell phone, constantly calling to ask questions and complain about each other. Last time I turned my phone off we lost a client and I got in trouble from my boss. I feel like I’m managing a kindergarten when I’m away and I NEVER get to be fully disconnected from my job. I have talked to them, the other manager has talked to them but they continue to call. What can I do to get this to stop?
ANSWER: If you have addressed the situation before and nothing changed then to make it stop you may need to take it as far as a corrective action. Of course, I would not start there. You need paper trail, so start by having ONE more meeting. You need to make it very clear to your employees exactly who they should contact when you are out of the office and give in writing the chain of command.
Give them one person in the office that has access to contacting you (probably the other manager). Work calls, complaints, etc. should be sent to the designated person when you are away. This person will determine if it is necessary to contact you. Put it in writing that you have had this conversation and make everyone sign it saying they understand. If it happens again, that is when you start the corrective action process.
Please contact us if you have a question you want answered. We will feature one frequently asked question a month.