Being contacted by work whilst on holiday/term time etc

A question about : Being contacted by work whilst on holiday/term time etc

Can I ask for opinions on this please.

I have recently started to work term time and this week I'm off with the kids.

Obviously I'm not being paid for this week although may pay is averaged over the year.

My employer has emailed me today asking me to call them. I have done and it was quite frankly a waste of time and something that could have been dealt with next week considering the deadline for what they are asking about is the 27th February.

For future reference would I be within my rights to ignore any contact from my employer during the weeks for which I am not working and not being paid?

I'm thinking more about times when I may not be in, may have gone out for the day, or even (as we intend to do at some point) go away for a few days when I won't be monitring my phone/emails constantly.

I'm not at work so don't have access to the full guidance, but what I do have makes no reference to being contacted/being available for contact during the weeks I don't work.

Best answers:

• Considering your past issues with employers I would suggest that whilst technically you may be right that actually you allow some leeway on this (providing that it doesn't become excessive)
  The odd phone call is nothing and ultimately if you can't deal with the issue, whatever it is there and then, then say so.
  If you're away where there isn't email/phone contact then let them know beforehand.
• This is my stance on it. It's your time that you aren't being paid for and therefore if the company can't contact you, tough. However if I'm around and I'm not doing anything and my company rang me I'd help out. Is it really that much trouble to give 5 mins of your time to help your colleagues and earn some brownie points? Trust me, those brownie points come in use.
• You could ignore contact but is it really that bad to be asked to call them once? If ignoring my employer while I was off, I'd worry that I would miss something important, perhaps a call clarifying overtime or bank details for my pay, something I'd forgotten to do, or even just asking if I want to go on a work's night out.
  I'd say one call in a week off is fine, especially as they asked you to call them so you can choose a convenient time - part of the give and take of having a good relationship with your employer. When you are working, would you want your employer to let you make a quick phone call about something you'd forgotten at home? Sometimes they may need a few minutes extra of your time but you may also want a few minutes on their time - as long as it all averages out, I wouldn't complain!
• I am an employer.
  We may need to contact employees while on holiday / maternity leave / hangover to arrange / re-arrange work rota, cover for when they return or in some cases, to know when they are returning.
  There may be other communication which need to sent to all employees, etc.
  While I will give leeway to when they reply depending on circumstances - if they decide that they will not entertain any communication from me when they are off on holiday / maternity leave / hangover, I will not be entertaining being employer for very long.
• I think a lot has to do with your position in the company. If you have are part of a team then the rest of the team should be able to cover it.
  If your role is specialised, or you are in a very senior position then expect to be contacted.
• It's nice to read that some employees still have the bottle to say no to this kind of intrusion.
• This sounds like a school job to me. Do you really think you are not being paid during school holidays?