Sheftali's Unknown

Updated September 2026: in 2019, after a quiet spell, I was pulled into a complicated opportunity whose delivery leads worked weekends and expected me to as well. I have rewritten it into advice on handling weekend work requests in IT services.

A difficult opportunity had finally closed, and for a few weeks I handled small ad-hoc requests from my manager with time to spare. I hoped it would last. Instead I was assigned a complicated opportunity with shifting requirements, run by delivery leads who worked weekends and wanted my support on weekends too.

Is weekend work normal in IT services?

Occasional weekend work around a deadline is common, particularly in presales and during go-lives. Regular weekend work as a default is a sign of poor planning or understaffing. The distinction matters, because the first is part of the job and the second is a problem to raise.

How should you respond to a weekend request?

• Ask what is needed and why it cannot wait until Monday. Sometimes it genuinely cannot; often it can.
• Agree a specific window, such as Saturday morning, rather than being on call all weekend.
• Confirm the deliverable so the time is spent on the right thing.
• Tell your manager, so the weekend effort is visible.

What should you expect in return?

Many companies offer compensatory time off for weekend work, and some pay allowances; check your company's policy. Ask for the comp-off at the time it is earned and record it. Weekend hours that are not recorded tend to disappear, both from your leave balance and from your manager's memory.

When does weekend work need to be raised?

When it happens on most weekends, or when it is requested without a real deadline behind it. Bring a simple record to your manager: dates, hours and the reason given each time. That turns a general complaint into evidence of a staffing or planning problem, which is something your manager can take further.

How do you protect your time on a team that works weekends?

Set expectations early, before the first weekend, rather than after the fifth. State when you are available and when you are not, and stick to it except for genuine emergencies. People adjust to clear boundaries faster than to inconsistent ones.

What about the quiet weeks in between?

Use them. The spare time I had before this opportunity arrived could have gone into preparing reusable material or a certification, which make the busy periods easier. Quiet weeks rarely last, and the work done in them pays back when the weekend requests start.

Keep reading

• Starting Work With a Difficult Stakeholder: First Steps
• Estimating Your Real Workload Before It Lands
• Closing a Service Request So It Does Not Come Back

Updated September 2026: this 2019 post described an offshore delivery lead escalating against me to my manager, after rejecting a slide that the onsite team had already accepted. I have rewritten it into advice on handling a colleague's escalation against you.

During one call, the offshore delivery lead asked for a slide on a particular topic. I searched our repository and other sources and found the latest version. Everyone was satisfied except him; he wanted other options. In a separate call, the onsite team told me the slide was fine and we could move on. That became a new source of conflict, and he escalated against me to my manager, who wanted me to keep supporting the opportunity anyway.

What should you do when you learn a colleague escalated against you?

Pause before reacting. Find out exactly what was raised, from your manager, rather than guessing. Then respond to the specific points, calmly and in writing if the escalation was written. Defensiveness confirms the complaint; facts usually answer it.

How do you present your side?

• A short timeline: what was asked, what you did, when.
• Evidence: the slide shared, and the onsite team's confirmation that it was acceptable.
• What you would do differently, if anything. Acknowledging one small point builds credibility for the rest.

How do you handle conflicting direction from two leads?

The root of my situation was that the onsite team and the offshore lead gave different answers about the same slide. When that happens, do not choose silently. Put both on the same email: "The onsite team has approved this slide; do we proceed, or is an alternative needed?" That moves the disagreement to the people who own it and protects you from being blamed for either choice.

Should you keep working with the person?

If your manager asks you to, keep it professional and documented. Communicate in writing, confirm decisions after calls, and keep the onsite team copied where appropriate. It is tiring, but it prevents a second escalation built on "he said, she said".

What if your manager does not see the conflict?

Raise it specifically: how many times direction has conflicted, how much time was lost and the effect on the work. Ask whether someone else can be the single point of direction on the opportunity. Managers who miss conflicts usually respond to evidence of cost, not to descriptions of personality.

Keep reading

• Starting Work With a Difficult Stakeholder: First Steps
• Building a Proposal Storyline on a Two-Week Turnaround
• When a Client Contact Bypasses Your Manager

Updated September 2026: in 2019 my family sprang a same-day trip on me: over 300 km each way in our Ford EcoSport, starting at 5 am, with me driving. I have rewritten it into practical safety tips for long same-day road trips.

I arrived home for a long weekend expecting to relax. Instead, my family had planned a trip to a city more than 300 km away, returning the same day, with a 5 am start. I could stay home and lend my car to my brother, or drive the family myself. I chose to drive, despite not being an early morning person. A 600 km day behind the wheel deserves more planning than a sudden decision allows.

Is a 600 km same-day round trip safe?

It can be, with enough rest and shared driving. The main risk is fatigue, particularly on the return leg after a full day out. Fatigue slows reaction times in ways that drivers underestimate, and it is at its worst late at night and in the early afternoon.

How should you plan the day?

• Sleep properly the night before. A 5 am start after a late night is the riskiest version of this trip.
• Share the driving with another licensed driver if at all possible.
• Stop every two hours or so, for at least fifteen minutes, and get out of the car.
• Plan the return before dark where possible, and allow time for a rest before setting off back.
• Keep an overnight option in mind if the day runs long.

What should you check on the car before leaving?

Tyre pressures, including the spare, oil and coolant levels, wipers and washer fluid, lights and a fuel level with margin. Carry the car's documents, a phone charger, water and a basic first-aid kit. If a service is due, a quick check at a workshop before a long trip is cheap insurance.

What are the warning signs of driver fatigue?

Yawning repeatedly, heavy eyes, drifting in the lane, missing a turn or not remembering the last few kilometres. Any of these means stop at the next safe place. Coffee and a short nap of fifteen to twenty minutes help temporarily; they are not a substitute for handing over the wheel or resting properly.

How do you handle a sudden family plan?

Ask for the plan in full before agreeing: distance, start time, stops and who else can drive. If the start is too early for you to be safe, say so and suggest a later start or an overnight stay. It is a reasonable condition, not a refusal. Being the only driver on a 600 km day is a real responsibility, and it is fine to set terms for it.

Keep reading

• Day I Realized the Importance of Battery Jumper Cables
• Weekend Work Requests in IT: Setting Limits
• Using AirPods Pro Through a Long Workday

Updated September 2026: this 2019 post described being assigned, late on a Friday, an opportunity involving an onsite delivery person known for demanding endless updates, and the relief of a supportive offshore colleague. I have rewritten it into advice for the first days on work with a stakeholder who has a difficult reputation.

My manager assigned the opportunity late in the day. Reading through it, I saw the name of an onsite delivery person known for asking for many unnecessary changes, and my heart sank. The one comfort was an offshore delivery colleague I had not worked with before. I called him that evening to ask what was needed. He was calm and encouraging: little was needed until the client answered the questionnaire. I signed off for the weekend relieved.

Should you trust a colleague's reputation?

As a warning, not a verdict. Reputations tell you where friction has happened before, often around changing requirements or late requests. They do not tell you how the person will behave with you, on this piece of work. Prepare for the known pattern, but start neutral.

What should you do in the first days?

• Call your closest collaborator early, as I did with the offshore colleague. Knowing what is actually needed now removes most of the anxiety.
• Confirm scope and approvals in writing, especially who signs off the deliverable.
• Agree how changes will be requested, ideally through one channel.
• Find out what the client is waiting on, because nothing moves faster than the client's answers.

How do you handle a stakeholder who asks for many updates?

Log each request with its date and reason, and batch them where you can: "I will include these three changes in tomorrow's version." Batching reduces the constant stop-start, and the log shows everyone how the scope has grown. If a change conflicts with an earlier instruction, point to the earlier one and ask which should stand.

Why does a supportive colleague matter so much?

Because they share the load and the context. A good offshore partner can absorb some requests, confirm priorities and back you up when requirements shift. Invest in that relationship early: keep them informed, credit their help and make their work easier in return.

When should you raise concerns with your manager?

When a pattern appears in the work itself, not before. Going to your manager on day one with "this person is difficult" sounds like prejudging. Going in week two with a log of repeated changes and their effect on the timeline gives your manager something to act on.

Keep reading

• When a Client Contact Bypasses Your Manager
• A Colleague Escalated Against You? How to Respond
• Weekend Work Requests in IT: Setting Limits