Craig Verley

You are in the middle of enjoying a holiday off and all district schools and offices are closed when you get that text/phone call/email from a reporter or producer that starts with: “I know you are off today but…”

If you are anything like me, this would result in a heavy sigh and usually a thought along the lines of; if you know we are closed, then why are you still bugging me? Okay, perhaps sometimes the thought was not quite that nice.

The truth is you can’t necessarily blame the reporter. In many cases, they are reaching out because they know their bosses will make them do it anyway. Or in some cases, the reporter may have already tried the, they are closed today response, and were told by their boss to reach out to you anyhow.

In addition to jolting you out of whatever day off activities or non-activities you were engaged in, these calls on your days off can be annoying because they seem to be about something that really could have waited a day or two. It is not an urgent situation or an emergency.

Why do I feel my blood pressure rising while just writing about this blip on our holiday? Okay, deep breath.

A deep breath may be the first, best response to the interruption of your time off. Take a moment to sigh, roll your eyes, murmur unkind words under your breath, and then… weigh your options.

Like most other dealings with the media, there will always be many variables to consider in how you proceed, including any preferences expressed by your supervisor, if any.

If it isn’t urgent, nor an emergency, don’t be afraid to just respond indicating that offices are closed and no one is available, but that you would be happy to help get what they need the next day, or upon the return to work (if this is during an extended holiday like Spring Break). Then, upon your return, you can reach out and see if they are still interested or in need of something and follow up as needed. They know you are off, as is everyone else in the district, and so a response like this is probably what they are anticipating anyhow.

Having said that, sometimes, the reporter may indicate their need for a tidbit of information or response that you can quickly confirm or provide without having to interrupt someone else’s time off. In which case, go for it; especially if you know it would just bug you the rest of the day if you don’t respond with the information on hand. Just know that, depending upon your relationship with the reporter, you may be setting yourself up for more holiday interruptions if they find out they can intrude on your time off for almost anything.

Another thought to weigh is whether the story is going to run that day and you know that no other district is likely to respond. This may allow you to show some thought leadership on the subject if it is something you can easily respond to without having to bug other district employees.  This also works if just a quick phone response from you will give them what they need for their story. If it is a TV station reaching out and they want something on camera or zoom, setting up a time and making yourself presentable when you have been at the beach just may not be realistic.

As a former broadcast news guy, I always tried to be as amenable as possible with the local media folks. They have their daily deadlines and pressures to fill newscasts and pages, but that does not mean they get to ruin your holiday on something that is not urgent just because they need a story that day. They don’t like it when it is done to them, and any decent news person will know that it is a long shot bugging you for a quote or information during holidays when the district is closed.

 There is nothing wrong with boundaries!

I don’t know who needs to hear this but… There is absolutely nothing wrong with guarding your holidays and time off! This is an important part of fighting for a little work/life balance that can help keep burnout at bay.