Sheftali's Unknown

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about working a weekend on a bid when Skype for Business on my office laptop would not connect, IT support could not fix it until Monday, and I found a workaround through my personal laptop. I have rewritten it into advice on what to do when work tools fail outside office hours.

I was supporting a new bid over the weekend when Skype for Business on my office laptop stopped working and showed me as offline. I tried several fixes, then raised a ticket with IT support. They tried everything and said it could not be fixed until the laptop was on the office network, on Monday at the earliest. I worried that my weekend work would go unseen and that claiming a compensatory day would be harder. Eventually I found a workaround: signing in through webmail on my personal laptop let me use Skype from there.

What should you do first when a work tool fails?

• Tell the people you are working with: how to reach you instead, such as by phone.
• Raise a ticket: it creates a record that the problem was real.
• Use approved alternatives: web versions of mail and chat, if your company allows them.

Is using a personal laptop acceptable?

Only if your company's policy permits it. Many employers forbid signing in to work systems from personal devices because of the security risk. Check the policy before using a workaround, and never copy company files to a personal machine.

How do you make sure weekend work is recognised?

Do not rely on an online status. Send a short mail to your manager at the end of the day listing what you did and for whom. That is better evidence for compensatory leave than a green light in a chat app.

How can you reduce the risk next time?

Connect to the VPN and test your tools on Friday before a planned weekend, keep the IT helpdesk number handy, and save key contacts' phone numbers.

What did the experience show?

That clear communication mattered more than the tool. The people I worked with needed to reach me, not to see me online.

Keep reading

• Weekend Work Requests in IT: Setting Limits
• When a Client Contact Bypasses Your Manager
• Can an iPad Replace a Laptop? Where It Falls Short

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I recalled the third day of the 2015 Chennai floods, charging devices from my car and then from the apartment gym's backup power, while the water rose to the parking area. I have rewritten it into advice on finding power during a long outage.

I spent the day walking around the apartment block. To charge my phone, I started my car and charged as much as I could. I sensed panic among the residents and avoided conversations to stay calm. In the evening I found the building was running backup power to common areas, and I could charge my MacBook Pro in the gym, then charge my other two devices from its USB ports. Late that evening I walked out again, hoping the water had dropped enough to drive to my home town. It had risen further and was reaching the parking area. My only companions were my iPod Touch and around 20 Tintin comics.

Where can you find power in a long outage?

• Building backup: common areas, lifts and gyms often have generator or inverter power.
• Your car: a USB port or inverter, used with care.
• Power banks: charged before the storm.
• Neighbours with inverters: share and take turns.

Is it safe to charge from a car?

Only in open air, never in an enclosed garage, because of exhaust fumes. Keep the engine running only as long as needed, and watch fuel levels. Do not start or use a car in flooded parking, where water can damage the engine and electrics.

How do you charge several devices from one?

A laptop can charge a phone through its USB port while plugged in, as I did. Charge the most important device first, and keep one fully charged as a reserve.

What does rising water in the parking area mean?

That leaving by car is getting riskier, and cars left in basements may be damaged. Move vehicles to higher ground early if you can, and do not try to drive through deep or moving water.

Keep reading

• 600 km in a Day by Car: Safety Tips for Long Drives
• No Charger in the iPhone Box: What to Buy and Why
• Day I Realized the Importance of Battery Jumper Cables

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about sharing a slightly lowered hike figure with a manager on my team, only to learn a week later from a colleague that the manager had told the whole team my exact percentage. I have rewritten it into advice on what to do if your pay is disclosed.

To recap: a manager on my team asked for my hike percentage, and after a lot of thought I gave him a figure slightly lower than the real one, trusting he would keep it to himself. Nothing more was said, and I got on with my work. About a week later, while chatting with a colleague who reported to the same manager, I learned that the manager had discussed my hike with him and shared my exact percentage with the whole team. It was a serious breach of trust.

How could he have known the exact figure?

Managers with access to team pay data may already know it, which means the question may have been a test or simply idle curiosity. That is one more reason to decline such questions: the asker may know more than you think.

What should you do if your pay is shared without consent?

• Stay calm: confronting the person in anger rarely helps.
• Note the facts: who said what, to whom, and when.
• Raise it with your own manager or HR: sharing pay data can breach company policy, and people with access to it are usually held to a higher standard.
• Ask for it to stop: rather than for a public apology.

How do you work with someone who broke your trust?

Keep the relationship professional and limited to work. Share only what the work needs, in writing where possible.

What about the misleading number I gave?

It did not protect me and made the situation more awkward. A polite refusal would have been better for everyone.

What is the lesson?

Confidential information stays confidential only if you keep it. Policy gives you the words to say no; use them.

Keep reading

• A Colleague Escalated Against You? How to Respond
• Starting Work With a Difficult Stakeholder: First Steps
• When a Client Contact Bypasses Your Manager

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about closing a bid with a rude, ego-driven delivery expert and a disengaged teammate, where the expert kept changing his mind and eventually shouted at me. I have rewritten it into advice on handling a colleague who shouts.

I had to finish the bid with the hardest team I had worked with: an expert with a rude manner and a big ego, and a teammate who did not care about the work. At first only our team was involved, and our scope turned out to be smaller than other teams', who joined later, so I relaxed a little. But every call with the expert brought new suggestions, changes and opinions. I bent over backwards to accommodate them. At one point, while I was working hard to close every open item, he shouted at me.

What should you do when someone shouts at you at work?

• Do not shout back: keep your voice level.
• Pause the conversation: "Let us pick this up in ten minutes."
• Follow up in writing: with the facts and the next steps, not the emotion.
• Tell your manager: the same day, factually.

Is shouting ever acceptable?

No. Pressure explains it but does not excuse it. Most companies' codes of conduct cover abusive behaviour, and HR should know if it happens repeatedly.

How do you stop endless changes?

Agree a cut-off date for changes, keep a change log, and ask for comments in one consolidated list. When changes contradict earlier ones, point that out calmly and ask which version stands.

How do you finish a bid in a tense team?

Focus on the deadline and the client. Keep interactions short and documented, and share progress widely so no one person controls the outcome.

What should happen after the bid?

A short, factual review with your manager. Difficult behaviour that is never raised tends to repeat on the next bid.

How do you look after yourself afterwards?

Take a short break before the next call, talk to someone you trust, and remind yourself that the behaviour says more about the other person's pressure than about your work.

Keep reading

• Starting Work With a Difficult Stakeholder: First Steps
• A Colleague Escalated Against You? How to Respond
• When a Client Contact Bypasses Your Manager

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about giving up weekend plans for an early Saturday call where nothing concerned my team and no one noticed whether I was there. I have rewritten it into advice on unnecessary weekend calls.

The news that I had to join a Saturday morning call ruined my weekend plans of a good film and rest. I came home on Friday night and set an early alarm, which I hate, especially for work on a Saturday. The call brought no important information for me or my team, and by the end nobody had noticed whether I had been on it. After an hour it ended, and I went back to enjoying the weekend, though I left my office laptop on in case more work came.

Why are people invited to calls they do not need?

Because it is easier for the organiser to invite everyone than to decide who is needed. On bids, account teams fear missing someone at the key moment.

How do you find out if you are needed?

• Ask the organiser: "Is there anything on the agenda for my team?"
• Offer a written update instead: sent before the call.
• Agree to be on standby: reachable by phone if your topic comes up.

Is it risky to skip a weekend call?

Skipping without a word is. Asking beforehand, with an alternative, is usually welcomed. It shows you respect the deadline and everyone's time.

How do you protect the rest of the weekend?

After the call, confirm by mail whether anything is expected of you and by when. If not, switch off and rest. Leaving a laptop on "just in case" keeps you half at work all day.

What would make weekend calls better?

A short agenda with a time slot per team, and invites only for those with open items. Suggesting it to the organiser helps everyone on the next bid.

Should you claim time off for a call like this?

If your company allows compensatory leave for weekend work, record the time, even for a short call. It also shows the organiser what weekend calls cost the team.

Keep reading

• Weekend Work Requests in IT: Setting Limits
• Starting Work With a Difficult Stakeholder: First Steps
• Closing a Service Request So It Does Not Come Back