Impact of off-hours behavior on workplace trust

There was a manager, whose dedication to work knew no bounds - literally. His team found themselves burning the midnight oil every other day, not just during critical customer deliverables. It wasn't long before the relentless pace started taking its toll. The said manager believed in pushing hard to achieve results, but he overlooked a fundamental truth – sustainable success requires balance. The constant late nights and weekend work began to wear down the team. Stress levels soared, burnout became a common complaint, attrition skyrocketed as talented employees left for organizations that valued their personal lives. The departures didn't just affect productivity; it eroded the trust and camaraderie within the team. Eventually, the wake-up call came. Realizing the impact of his approach, he started (with great difficulty!) implementing boundaries. He encouraged his team to disconnect after hours and respect personal time. The focus shifted from sheer hours worked to the quality and efficiency of work done. Setting boundaries became a game-changer. The team regained their energy, creativity, and enthusiasm; productivity improved and the workplace atmosphere transformed. Employees felt valued and respected, knowing their personal lives were as important as their professional contributions. And for the manager, he finally learned that while hard work is essential, it's equally important to ensure that employees have time to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance. In the long run, this balance fosters a more engaged, loyal, and effective team. Remember, it's not about how many hours you put in; it's about making those hours count. #leadership #professionalgrowth #settingboundaries

"Here's a non-exhaustive list of things I judge managers for." That's how this post in response to an Axios article on managers judging employees for disconnecting was going to start because as someone who deeply values my own time off and opportunities to disconnect and wholeheartedly try to encourage the same of my team. But after thinking about it further, I deleted that because I realized that I'm guilty of this too. The article points out that most managers see the value in disconnecting and taking breaks from work, but also that those who do are penalized when it comes to promotions and rewards. And as a manager, I can say that I very much encourage and expect people to take their time. I respect their time away and delay any requests so they aren't getting pinged. At the same time, I notice when a team member checks in while off to make sure something they handed over is going smoothly or forwards an email, or hops on for a quick call. It sends some signal around that person's commitment to results, how seriously they take their work, etc. I guess it falls in the "goes above and beyond" category, and that's pretty much a requirement in most workplaces for upward mobility. But a few alternate ways we could view this behavior: - the employee struggles with setting boundaries - the employee doesn't prepare properly for time away - the employee hasn't built trusting relationships with colleagues - the employee may be headed for burnout and working longer hours while having less impact - the employee isn't efficient and can't complete their work during the work day - the employee doesn't have the resources to do their work within the work day - the employee feels insecure and like their job will be at risk if they don't do extra - the employee isn't leveraging automation and other productivity tools Shifting our thinking here would probably help us stop seeing working while we're supposed to be offline as a positive to praise and reward, and more as something to investigate and troubleshoot around, and having those conversations might help us stop rewarding those who are doing "extra". In performance conversations, employers can have conversations around ensuring that decisions are focused solely on impact and results, rather than on visibility and hours worked. The more leaders model disconnecting, the more comfortable employees will be doing the same. At the same time, I think people have to play the game they're in. This study shows that even managers who say we value balance and time to recharge may be subconsciously rewarding those who are more visible, so that's good for people to keep in mind when deciding how they show up at work.

Recently during a discussion it came up that in our culture - it’s ok to contact employees outside work hours. Many employees hear from their managers even when they’re on sick leave or holidays. Honestly, this doesn’t surprise me—but that doesn’t make it okay. What’s happening here is more than just over-communication. It’s setting a toxic precedent. It sends the message that being available 24/7 is what it takes to stay valuable at work. And over time, this behavior takes a serious toll—burnout, resentment, mistakes, and people quietly quitting because they feel drained. Managers need to understand that boundaries aren’t just nice-to-haves—they are necessary. They protect not only employees' mental health but also the team's long-term productivity. We can’t expect people to perform their best if they’re stretched thin and always on high alert. Respecting personal time isn’t just a trait of good leadership—it helps build trust, loyalty, and engagement. And here’s the thing: if the work really needs immediate attention, it will get done. If it isn’t, maybe it can wait. It’s not just about working harder—it’s about working sustainably. Many a times we fail to respect the personal time of people. We need to be more respectful of this to build a culture that doesn’t get toxic. Would love to hear your views on this. #WorkCulture #Burnout #EmployeeWellbeing #Leadership

One of our junior engineers messaged me at 7:48 PM on a Thursday. I was halfway through dinner, mentally logged out, scrolling through memes. Slack said: “Hey Mani, quick question — sorry for the late message!” Now, this junior’s sharp. Always eager to learn. One of those “asks all the right questions” types. I replied: “Hey 👋, all good, but I’m off for the evening. Let’s look at it together tomorrow morning?” They said: “Oh! Sorry, didn’t mean to bother. I thought you might not mind since you sometimes reply late.” That stopped me. I wasn’t just answering messages after hours. I was unintentionally signaling that it’s normal to expect replies after hours. And that’s not the example I want to set — not for them, the team, or even myself. So the next morning we talked. I told them: “Slack’s always open. People aren’t. Send stuff whenever, but don’t expect replies till the next workday. Me included.” This industry doesn’t struggle with hustle. It struggles with stopping. If juniors don’t see you disconnect, they won’t feel safe doing it either. Respecting off-hours isn’t about being unavailable — it’s about being human, long-term. 💬 How do you model healthy boundaries at work? Or are you also secretly answering Slack messages in line at the grocery store?