Well here is my third blog – in four weeks. I didn’t post one last week as I was on holiday. As this was a week at home, ostensibly putting everything back after the builders’ departure (only they hadn’t departed), I returned to work even more tired that when I left!

On reflection, this seems to happen quite often. How many of you sometimes wonder if holidays are worth all the effort? Do you spend hours trying to complete all the outstanding jobs before you leave? (Whittling down and down until only the really important ones are completed!)

Do you then return to a pile of post and emails and new work (and all the “old” work) because no-one does your work while you are away?

No? Well, you must have the delegation thing better sorted than me! Don’t you find there are many jobs too sensitive to delegate so they inevitably have to wait – and you certainly wouldn’t want the clinicians touching them! If you have got this problem cracked, please let us all know the answer (as I’m hoping it isn’t only me who has this problem!)

So this week progressed with all the usual problems – lots of paperwork and the usual staff crises to sort that have arisen since I’ve been away. One of these is to tackle a receptionist whose body odour problem has become too much for everyone (the clinicians passed on sorting this while I was away) – now I really could do with some help on that one!

Well, back to the paperwork and hope that this weekend may be as good as the last one – here’s to Monday morning!

Your comments: (Terms and conditions apply)

“I’m with you there. I’m off on holiday soon and dreading what’s in store when I get back. I tend to open emails while abroad just to lighten the load” – Name and address supplied

“You have to get yourself a deputy who can sort out some of the stuff whilst you are away. It is good management practice anyway to have someone able to step in, just in case anything unexpected happens to you” – Name and address supplied

“My trusted reception manager opens my post for me and sorts it into trays I have labelled Financial/PCT/Miscell. She deals with anything deemed urgent. This system has stopped me feeling overwhelmed on return from leave.  The emails are another matter. Last time I was away, it took a week and half to plough through them. I have thought in the lead up to a holiday, “Is it worth it?”but you have to have your holiday otherwise you become too exhausted to function” – Name and address supplied

“I am lucky as I job share a PM position. We cover each other’s holidays so never have to face this problem. I believe we are quite unique!” – Name and address supplied

“I haven’t come across a PM yet who isn’t faced with the same problem. Let us all know if somebody has a solution” – Name and address supplied