Have you heard of the “Law of Unintended Consequences” or “Murphy’s Law” or any of the other unwritten laws of nature you may have experienced? I have another one to add to the collection: The Law of Urgent Requests, also known simply as The Law of Requests.
Plan a Holiday
You have planned a few days off work to spend time with your family. Travel plans and bookings have all been confirmed and it is noon on you last day before going away. Suddenly, your phone rings and a colleague you have not heard of for years wants some critical information, or your email inbox shows an urgent message you are expected to reply to providing detailed comments within a short time. It’s all because of the Law of Urgent Requests.
Decades of Experience
For decades it appears, I have been persecuted by this Law of Urgent Requests. I don’t think there ever was any planned time-off when I did not experience any such an urgent request. To make things worse, the importance of your expected (considered) response appeared to be inversely proportional both to the length of your time off and to the time left before your planned departure.
My experience covers extensive both periods as an employee and working according to my own desires. There is always something you absolutely need to do immediately, if not sooner.
Language Interpretation
In keeping with the law, these requests often come with some standards phrases and formalities. To help you decipher them, let me provide some simple interpretations, for example:
“Would you kindly:” You owe me anyway…
“At your earliest convenience:” Yesterday, if possible…
“Important:” Your job is on the line…
The Internet Rescue
With the arrival of the internet, things have come to be much steadier and more reasonable. You no longer need to worry about getting something done in your last hour of work. You can do it while at the airport and (perhaps) soon while in transit to an exotic location. In other words, you are expected to be available and working 24-7. End of problem!
Have a nice holiday!
