Asking People Work Questions on their Personal Time

[SportyandMisty]

A doctor and a lawyer were at a party, complaining about patients/clients who cross the line.

The Doctor: "I can't believe my patients sometimes. A person just spent the last 10 minutes asking me about medicine interactions for their medical condition.

The Lawyer: "Wow. That seems excessive."

The Doctor: "I can remember last year a woman dragged me into a guest bedroom and pulled up her blouse to ask me if she should see a doctor about a skin condition on her chest."

The Lawyer: "Wow. That seems excessive."

The Doctor: "How about you? Do people ever ask you for legal advice while you're at a party? How do you handle it?"

The Lawyer: "I give them legal advice, and then I send them a bill for my legal services."

The Doctor: "That's a great idea."

******

The following week, The Doctor opened his mail, and found a bill for $250 for legal services from The Lawyer rendered at the party.

[Twenty Years in the Burgh]

I'm a chef, so it's a frequent occurrence to get food-related queries from friends, relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors. The only time I mind work-related questions is when I'm trying to enjoy a meal that I didn't prepare--especially when out at a restaurant. Usually a gentle reminder that I'm not at the table to review the meal, but to enjoy food not hastily consumed over a trashcan makes my fellow diners leave me in peace.

[Diana Holbrook]

Is there such a thing as "personal time"?

[jamary1]

I worked for a large national health insurance company for years. Occasionally, I'd make the mistake of forgetting to take off my name badge when I left work. Bad mistake. I've been literally pinned up against the produce counter by someone who wants to know WHY THEIR PROCEDURE WASN'T APPROVED or to hear HOW BAD MY COMPANY WAS.


I tried hard not to make that mistake often.

[Diane de Poitiers]

A story from when I worked as the church secretary...

When my brother and his wife were planning their wedding, they decided to have it at the church. I had told my mom that i was willing to help out however I could, but that I was NOT going to be providing "after-hours access to church buildings". (just too many ways that could get taken advantage of.) Mom seemed to understand what I was saying, and was fine with that.

However, about a month or two prior to the wedding date, Mom informed me that I needed to be available the day before the wedding, so that I could come and unlock doors whenever my brother, his wife, and their friends planned to come decorate. (basically, I was supposed to sit around and be "on-call").

Not trying to sound petty, but there were various reasons why I didn't want to do that, and Mom got really upset/annoyed with me about it. (it was something she expected me to do, neither my brother nor his wife ever mentioned it)

Anyhow, I don't remember who ended up providing access to the church buildings, but I do remember that during the wedding reception, different people came up to me and asked office-related questions......I guess they forgot that I was NOT there in "church secretary capacity".

[Jakealope]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

When I lived in Maine, there was a mechanic who did such a good, honest job for everyone, that he would be swarmed whenever he went into the grocery store. People came flying up to him to ask car related questions. I felt kind of bad, but at the same time, they literally treated him like a celebrity, and he at least appeared to enjoy the attention. He was a very laid back guy, hilarious as anyone I've ever met, and so friendly to all. The first time that I walked into this place of business, he treated me like a long lost friend - clearly he did that for everyone else, because everyone loved this guy.

I understand it can make you feel annoyed or put out, but when that happens to me, I try to remember that mechanic in Maine and how he took it all with great interest and humor. That's why everyone loved that guy, as well as the fact that he was probably the only decent, honest mechanic in the area.

Just take it in stride, and know that when they "got a question for ya", it's because they respect your opinion. It's a lot better than being completely ignored.

grass/fence/greener grass

They are going to do it no matter what, have fun with it.

Unfortunately, they don't ask me questions because they respect my opinion. They ask me questions because they won't read or reference information provided to them in a variety of ways. They skim emails and yet when they miss a deadline or miss important information they often blame me. "You didn't tell me that." (Keep in mind I'm dealing with hundreds of team coordinators.)

Again let me clearly state that I don't mind answering legitimate questions or concerns. Of course, there will always be unusual situations that come up. But these are not life and death situations such as a doctor may deal with. And I am not an expert on something technical like a mechanic. People are merely asking questions because they didn't read information that was posted or emailed to them. If I get stopped in the grocery store and forced to listen to a 15-30 minute rant while I'm trying to gracefully do my job and make an exit, and then get home and try to wolf down dinner so that I can make a 7PM conference call.......yes that frustrates me.