How often should the leader of an organization be in the office?

[Anonymous]

I know I should be thrilled that I have a boss that doesn't micro-manage me, but she is hardly ever in the office. We have staff meetings on Tuesdays, she'll make an appearance, spend a couple of hours in the office and then is gone for the rest of the week. It's hard to manage things (I do admin) when the person I report directly to seems to never be here. I typically just do what I think needs to be done and then change things if she doesn't like it.

I know she is working from home, meeting with others, etc. when she's not here so it's not like she's taking the organization for a ride and only working a few hours a week.

So, tell me, what is fair? Should I ask her to come in more often (sounds whiny and needy) or just make the best of it when she is here?

[Anonymous]

Is she responsive to emails when out of the office?

[Anonymous]

I love when my boss isn't in the office (I could see it being harder as an admin). Does she respond to emails? Could you schedule a twice-weekly call with her?

[Anonymous]

You don't get to ask her to come in more. That is not your job, and hers is not to be there. If she isn't responsive, that is another issue, which you should mention if it is hindering your work. But there is no set amount of time for org leaders to be in the office, generally the job is not a desk job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is she responsive to emails when out of the office?

Not really. It can take her 3 or 4 days to respond to something and her response is usually not helpful b/c she hasn't taken the time to read my entire email. I make sure the emails I send are brief and to the point.

[Anonymous]

I dunno, OP. But even though people say increased teleworking is a good thing, I can't help but think it's completely killed morale in my office. Nobody is ever there and I do know at least 1/2 the people are taking advantage of the situation. It sucks.

[Anonymous]

"face time" greatly varies among industries. I would take someone who was hard to find over someone who's there 24/7 any day!

[Anonymous]

If she's in meetings for work, then it's fair game that she be out of the office. Some managers need to be on site and activity managing the portfolio. Others need to be out representing the organization and building alliances. Different companies have different needs in that regard.

Does she have a deputy who can handle the day to day stuff?

[Anonymous]

Leaders are rarely in their offices if they are busy, regardless of whether they telework or not.

If I want to meet with my VP, I have to schedule like a month in advance (I'm senior staff) because she is constantly, constantly in different locations, meeting with different people.

You are just being whiny -- her job isn't to make YOUR job easier. It's vice versa. Suck it up and adapt to her working style. If she doesn't respond to your emails well, maybe they are too long, or maybe you should be calling, or maybe you should hold questions for the meeting once a week where you see her in person. It's called managing up, and we all have to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is she responsive to emails when out of the office?

Not really. It can take her 3 or 4 days to respond to something and her response is usually not helpful b/c she hasn't taken the time to read my entire email. I make sure the emails I send are brief and to the point.

She's working from home and also doesn't respond to or fully read emails? I'm with OP, this is not good leadership. Working from home? As the chief executive? She better be damn responsive if she's pulling this. Travel is one thing, but good leaders make their presence felt even if they can't physically be around.