It was coming up to 5:00 PM on Friday, and I was getting ready to shut down my computer. My boss called me in and asked me to work on a file and submit it by Monday. This had never been discussed before. On one hand, I said okay to avoid losing my job, but it literally ate up my entire weekend. How do you think one should react in such situations?
The same thing happened to me last week. Just as I was about to change my clothes and head out on Friday evening, someone from the next table complained to the boss because they couldn't meet their deadline. The boss called me and said, 'Can you help out a bit?' At first, I couldn't refuse, but that weekend really turned into a nightmare. I think you should clearly show respect for your personal life before work. Otherwise, it will keep happening like this.
So is this the first time it's happened, or does he/she always act like this? Maybe the workload is just a temporary situation.
@denizcik actually no, they did similar things 2-3 more times but it was always on weekday evenings. This is the first time it has affected so much on a weekend. Also, the delivery time was never discussed, they just said it directly.
@elifb it might be, but you've made a bit too much of a sacrifice here. What will happen if you say 'no'? Are you afraid of the consequences? I think people should set boundaries from the beginning. That way, everyone would act accordingly.
Actually, in such situations, HR policies are very important. If extra work is being assigned regularly outside of working hours, it indicates a systemic issue within the company. However, if it's an extraordinary situation, perhaps you can have an open conversation and offer support just this once. The work-life balance is a very slippery slope.
