Need to vent / wonder if I'm being unreasonable

emski1234

I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for here - just to express my frustration somewhere other than at my poor husband and friends I guess - and to find out from others how much of an idiot I'm being. To keep it as brief as possible, I work for a tiny company, currently only just 2 staff members - myself and the manager/owner. We work independently/alone from home (always). There used to be more of us, but one person was sacked 6 months ago, another person left 1 month ago (because he got tired of being taken for a mug), and 2 others are on maternity leave. None of these staff members have been replaced, and there are no plans to. I work part time (I have a 1 year-old). Basically my manager does things like this a lot, and I put up with it and put up with it, but I've finally hit a wall today. He's suddenly decided to go away for 4 days as of tonight and asked me to manage (including the weekend, which is usually fine, I get overtime for it). When he initially asked me (via text) he made it seem as if he was just going away for the weekend, turns out he's going abroad for a 4 day holiday. Now, he can of course do what he likes - he owns the company, but it leaves just me to deal with everything. We are struggling with our workload, I would estimate that we have the work of 5 or 6 people, we run a 24hr service and are always working ridiculous hours. It's a sort-of customer serviced based job so constant phonecalls and emails coming in that need to be responded to and worked on. The main problem now is that I'm ill. I've got a horrible chest infection and feel bloody awful. My poor son has it too, and we've had the day from hell together today! Anyway, ordinarily if I feel like this tomorrow, I would phone in sick (for the first time ever). But I just can't because he's on holiday and has left me in it. Aside from how rotten I'm feeling, I probably shouldn't be sending my poorly toddler off to his grandparents either, luckily it's not a nursery or childminder situation. I just can't be off sick, there'd be no one left to run the company. But that's ridiculous, I'm not the manager, and I'm not the one who organised a last minute holiday without having enough staff (again - this has actually happened before). But I'm too conscientious, don't like letting people down, and for some reason I care. Surely the basic right is to be able to be off sick if really necessary. What would happen if I'd been hit by a bus and was in hospital? Just because its working from home and I physically can be there, just a very ill and much-less-efficient version of myself.
I'm sure I'll work tomorrow, I'm too much of a chicken and don't want to let him down. I'm just wondering if I'm in the wrong here and what people really think.

Takeaway_Addict

emski1234 wrote: »

I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for here - just to express my frustration somewhere other than at my poor husband and friends I guess - and to find out from others how much of an idiot I'm being. To keep it as brief as possible, I work for a tiny company, currently only just 2 staff members - myself and the manager/owner.

We work independently/alone from home (always). There used to be more of us, but one person was sacked 6 months ago, another person left 1 month ago (because he got tired of being taken for a mug), and 2 others are on maternity leave. None of these staff members have been replaced, and there are no plans to. I work part time (I have a 1 year-old).

Basically my manager does things like this a lot, and I put up with it and put up with it, but I've finally hit a wall today. He's suddenly decided to go away for 4 days as of tonight and asked me to manage (including the weekend, which is usually fine, I get overtime for it).

When he initially asked me (via text) he made it seem as if he was just going away for the weekend, turns out he's going abroad for a 4 day holiday. Now, he can of course do what he likes - he owns the company, but it leaves just me to deal with everything.

We are struggling with our workload, I would estimate that we have the work of 5 or 6 people, we run a 24hr service and are always working ridiculous hours. It's a sort-of customer serviced based job so constant phonecalls and emails coming in that need to be responded to and worked on. The main problem now is that I'm ill.

I've got a horrible chest infection and feel bloody awful. My poor son has it too, and we've had the day from hell together today! Anyway, ordinarily if I feel like this tomorrow, I would phone in sick (for the first time ever). But I just can't because he's on holiday and has left me in it. Aside from how rotten I'm feeling, I probably shouldn't be sending my poorly toddler off to his grandparents either, luckily it's not a nursery or childminder situation. I just can't be off sick, there'd be no one left to run the company.

But that's ridiculous, I'm not the manager, and I'm not the one who organised a last minute holiday without having enough staff (again - this has actually happened before). But I'm too conscientious, don't like letting people down, and for some reason I care. Surely the basic right is to be able to be off sick if really necessary.

What would happen if I'd been hit by a bus and was in hospital? Just because its working from home and I physically can be there, just a very ill and much-less-efficient version of myself.
I'm sure I'll work tomorrow, I'm too much of a chicken and don't want to let him down. I'm just wondering if I'm in the wrong here and what people really think.

If you're ill you're ill then the boss will have to sort it out himself but if you are going to call ill then pre-empt it as soon as possible, at the very worse if the work can be done at home he can do it on holiday as well surely?

I do feel for him though having 50% of his current workforce on maternity leave but it also asks the question....is the business model actually a workable one if he is unable to replace the even temporarily and he's not replaced the other two that have left?

thehappybutterfly

Of course you're not being unreasonable! From a practical point of view, obviously run it past your boss first, but c ould you put a message on voicemail and/or out of office message on email saying "Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances the office is closed. Normal service will resume etc etc. We apologise etc etc". You stay at home with the little one and deal with any committed jobs? Not knowing the nature of the business of course but could that work? It might mean you lose some business but thats what happens when you pare staff back to the minimum - things go tits up.

WHA

Presumably if you all work from home, then it's an internet/phone based business? If so, then your boss can deal with it all whilst he's on holiday can't he? I run a one-"man" business, and always work on holiday as there's no-one else at all. I have the landline diverted to my mobile and I take my laptop with me to stay on top of emails/work etc. A small business owner simply can't walk away, go on holiday and forget about the business - that's not what being a small business is about - you have to take your work with you. I'd suggest that you set up call diversion and email diversion so that all calls/emails go to him whilst you're off sick, whether he's on "holiday" or not. Then it's up to him whether to deal with them or not.

Morglin

Contact your boss, and throw the problem where it belongs -back at him.

Lin

Savvy_Sue

And if you'd fallen under a bus???

Seriously, what's the worst he can do if you contact him now and say you are TOO ILL TO WORK, sack you?

emski1234

Thanks everyone for sharing your opinions. As predicted, I couldnt bare to leave him in the lurch and ended up working yesterday (and today). He did log on and do some work in the afternoon, after I spent the morning fixing all of his mess-ups (another problem) and is online today.
I had an hour off yday afternoon to go and lie down for a bit after coughing my guts up on the phone to a client, but I was made to feel extremely guilty about it, and then worked past 9pm.
I spent the morning sobbing into my keyboard and was this close to jacking it all in, this misery just isn't worth it. I'd like to hand in my notice today so I've got a month to find something else. But I realise how irresponsible that would be with a mortgage and a husband with an unpredictable income. I'm actively job hunting now - I need to find either something home based (not easy I know!) or just some completely different part time local work where I can leave my work at the door at the end of the day.
Thanks everyone.

thehappybutterfly

oh emski, thats no good. Obviously you dont want to make any rash decisions, bills have to be paid after all, but you need to sit down with your boss and tell him that this situation cannot be allowed to continue and that he must get some temporary help. You need a promotion as you're a bloody saint!, even a temporary one. Put you in charge and get an agency worker in to man the phones etc. It infuriates me when bosses are unappreciative.