On leave but working

I finished up at work for the year on Wednesday. Unfortunately, on Tuesday I began to feel sick and by the end of Wednesday, a very busy day, I was feeling pretty wretched. I spent Thursday and Friday, my first days of leave, feeling like lukewarm death in a tumble dryer and only today am starting to improve; I had a lot of things planned for those two days which I was unable to do. I lazed around the house, watched movies and read books trying to rest and convalesce quickly and today and tomorrow I'll be getting things ready for Christmas day, food shopping, cooking and stuff like that despite not feeling the best; soldier on and all.

I promised myself I'd not look at my work phone or laptop over my break; an ambitious plan I wasn't sure I'd fulfill and, true to form, I've been working.

My organisation doesn't close down over this period and that means, due to the nature of my position, a lot of emails and calls have come in. By lunch time on Thursday, my first day of leave, I had fifteen emails and five voice messages - Fucking, fuckety fuckballs, would you leave me the fuck alone! (Nope, they won't.)

Because I'm me, I began to sort through them setting aside those that could be dealt with when I return in the new year and those that were more immediate. I delegated them, dealt with some myself and before long realised I'd worked half of my first day of annual leave. I'll admit it annoyed me, but I have a sense of responsibility and considering I was sick anyway I figured I might as well, it'll make my first few days back a little easier. Friday I did the same although there were slightly less emails and I only worked for about three hours.

I have a high sense of responsibility and self-discipline, always have. That doesn't mean I never relax it but when it comes to my work I take it very seriously; I get paid a lot of money by my organisation and while their demands on me are often high I tend to give a lot more than is expected. I have a saying, lift heavy shit, which means do the hard work, look for it, do it and look for more; it's about not shirking on one's responsibilities, about pitching in and working hard. It's not about physical lifting of course, it's about doing difficult things and getting the job done and it's what any good leader should be doing as it raises the bar, sets a good example, and I've always found that it lifts others' performance as well.

Few people will know I was was working at home on my annual leave and I'll not broadcast it either, but some will know and other's will work it out. The benefit of that is that people often think, that guy always gets things done, never seems flustered or out of control, (even thought sometimes I am) and that, for me, is a good thing; that's leading by example as others will ask why, or observe, and will usually lift their own performance or seek ways to do so; it creates an environment of continual improvement for the team where each person wants to perform at their best, or so I have found it to be.

I'd never ask a person to work on their annual leave time, or even when they're off sick, but I know it happens and know that some people feel obligated or inclined to do so, like in my case, just to keep up with the work flow. It's personal choice I guess.

I'm curious about how you see the situation. Have you ever gone over and above for your employer out of a feeling of responsibility to them or your job? One such example would be many thousands of nursing and medical staff during the pandemic situation recently. Have you worked when you weren't expected to? Was it every-day work or a project that simply needed doing? Are you the type of person that will not lift a finger for your employer without there being remuneration for it? How has going the extra mile for your employer worked in your favour later on, or worked to your detriment? Feel free to comment below.