Awhile back I wrote an editorial that included a poll talking about vacation and getting your work handled while you're out. My intention was really to note that many of us end up doing the work we'd do if we weren't on vacation, but we do it either before or after our time off. So in essence, we hadn't had a vacation. We'd worked twice as hard before vacation, after, or both!
I didn't intend to complain to anyone, and someone mentioned to me that maybe I didn't have a good employer. Actually I have a great employer and extra work has often been about my need to control things rather than any implicit or explicit discussion about what I needed to get done. I hate letting go and worry about others handling my work correctly.
I'm also that way about my car. Don't like anyone else driving it 😉
In any case, I heard from another person that wondered what I thought about a person getting ill at their workplace and the others being expected to work extra to get things done. This was a medium term illness, I guess longer than a few days, but not necessarily a permanent problem. Something on the order of months. I don't know the illness, but assume it's something that's serious and keeps the person from doing much, if any, work from home.
I'm a believer in teams at work, and in working together. It's important enough that I think you really need to consider the team fit above technical skills when hiring someone. But the teamwork goes both ways, and if I want you to cover for me when I'm on vacation, I need to cover for you if you're ill. Even if that is a few months and it results in a lot more work for me and the rest of the team.
Employers need to help employees balance life and help them to do so, without overloading them. Whether it's a sabbatical, a leave of absence for a child or illness, or some other event that might extend for weeks, I think that management needs to understand less people are available to do the work and less might get done. It's one thing to cover someone's work for a day, and it's something else to do it for weeks.
And the co-workers need to pull together as well. A little extra work is worth it to help those around you, after all, you never know when you might need their assistance in return.
Steve Jones
The Voice of the DBA Podcasts
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