Please Settle This,
I need an outside opinion from people who do not work at my company, because everyone who does is scared.
I work on a team of five. My coworker Rachel is talented, fast and, I genuinely think, a workaholic. She messages at all hours. Not emails. Direct messages, with the little notification sound.
Wednesday, 9:15 pm: "Hey, quick question about the deck." Friday, 10:30 pm: "Did you see my notes?" Saturday, 11:42 pm: "Quick question." Then, at 11:58 pm: "???"
For the first few months, I answered all of them. I was new, and I wanted to look committed. I answered from my sister’s wedding. I answered from the dentist’s chair. My partner started calling my phone "Rachel."
This summer, I stopped. Not in a dramatic way. I just started replying the next morning at 9, first thing, every time. Nothing was ever late. Nothing ever broke.
On Monday our manager pulled me into a "quick sync." Apparently Rachel had mentioned I am "hard to reach on the weekends" and that it "slows things down." My manager said it nicely. He said "no pressure." But he said it.
Here is the thing: I do not think Rachel is trying to get me in trouble. I think she truly believes that answering at midnight is what good work looks like. And maybe at this company, it is.
Am I wrong for logging off? Or is answering at midnight just the cost of keeping my job?
Signed,
Off the Clock
Letters are written by NowSettled from the disputes people search for. Names and details are made up.
