Got a boss who keeps emailing and calling you after work hours? Someone who seems like they don’t have a life outside the office and think you should not have one too?
Weekends are supposed to be rest days, not extensions of work weeks. But how do you speak to your boss about it without kena marked?
This one’s quite tricky.
If you keep mum, your boss will happily continue with his routine. But if you’re too direct, you might be labeled as not “hardworking”.
Well, allow us to share with you some tips, and hopefully, your boss will understand and give you more breathing space. If not, at least you know you’ve tried your best to improve the situation.
Understanding your rights and personal time
Having a boss who keeps contacting you after work hours can zap your time and energy, especially if it happens often.
As much as you want to be a team player, you need to stand up for your rights to rest and have a life outside of work.
Your mental health and work-life balance are important. Having downtime to rest, connect with loved ones, and recharge will make you even more productive and engaged during work hours.
No one, not even the most work-centric boss, has the right to intrude into your personal time regularly. Don’t feel guilty about standing up for your needs. A good company and manager should respect work-life boundaries. If yours don’t, you deserve to be in a healthier environment.
Strategies to tactfully deal with your boss
Being direct but polite is important.
Tell your boss politely but firmly that you have personal commitments after work and would appreciate not being contacted during those hours unless absolutely necessary.
Say something like:
“Hi X, I hope you understand, but I need to spend time with my loved ones after work hours. I’ll attend to the issue first thing when I’m back in the office.”
You can also set up auto-responders for work emails that will send an out-of-office message after hours.
The message can be along the lines of:
“I have left the office for the day. I will respond to your email as soon as possible during working hours. Thank you for your understanding.”
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Make sure you finish all important tasks within official work hours. Don’t leave things until the end of the day that may require input from your boss. Get things done early so they don’t have a reason to call you after!
Use “do not disturb” settings on your work devices to avoid notifications after work hours. You can also consider using separate devices for work and personal use so you can truly disconnect when you’re off.
Depending on the job nature, you may want to propose a solution, like a roster for someone to be on-call each night to handle any urgent queries. Compromise and understanding from both sides (and your teammates) will help make the situation better in the long run.
With open communication and some strategic actions, you can get your after-work life back while maintaining a good working relationship with your boss. No more going cuckoo from constant calls.
Sounds good?
Propose alternative solutions
Consider proposing flexi-work arrangements, like coming in early and leaving early. Maybe something like, those who start work at 7 am can knock off at 4 pm? This kind of staggered work hours may suit those with family commitments.
Or some teammates don’t mind starting work a little later and knocking off in the evening to avoid rush hour—10 am to 7 pm. Use everyone’s preferences to your advantage so that your boss has at least someone “on duty” between 7 am to 7 pm.
So there you have it, folks, some ways to handle that boss of yours who just doesn’t seem to respect work-life boundaries. Don’t let their behavior stress you out or make you dread checking your phone after leaving work. You have the power to stand up for yourself in a professional, constructive way. Be firm but tactful, and suggest compromises and solutions rather than just complaining over lunchtime. And if all else fails, set those boundaries yourself by not engaging with work matters after you’ve left the office. Your time outside of work is precious, and you deserve to enjoy it fully. Now go forth and slay that work-life balance dragon once and for all. The weekend is calling your name! 😉
