If you are at the age of 23-25, you probably surrounded by people who started to work. You will see this norm of working long hours among the freshers. First 2 years of work-life, people already presumed that working long hours is a common thing.
We are not saying only the bosses would think like this but the newbie workers have the same concept too. Because that's how we perceive working life as a whole.
You need to work extremely hard for the first 2-3 years to get promotion then only you could actually slow down. Work-life balance in your early career is almost impossible to happen in Malaysia.
However, due to this pandemic, work from home is the new normal. People are forced to have a life while working from home. Still, working from home does not guarantee a work-life balance.
So, how to tell your boss that you want to rest after working hours in Malaysia?
Is it urgent or can it wait until tomorrow?
You just about to get some rest after a long day. What should you reply?
You should first reply, 'is it urgent or can it wait until tomorrow?'.
If he said is urgent, then remind him that you don't have the full data and information to complete the job right now. Ask another question to him, 'is it okay to have a new dateline tomorrow?'.
Do not outright reject your boss but instead place back the responsibility to his end.
'Noted. I will come back to you tomorrow.'
Some bosses text you because they miss the human connection in the office. They perhaps just want to have some someone to talk to after work.
Sometimes, all they want to receive is a simple 'noted'. To know that, someone still cares about them even after work.
Offer an alternative to them, such as tell them, you will handle the matter ASAP tomorrow morning.
Don't reply to their text after work.
This might seem like a bad move but the boundary is necessary at times.
If you made yourself too available after work, your boss would know that you are 24/7 ready for the company.
Reply and follow up the matter in the morning. You could reply something like, 'Hi XX, I realise that you texted me last night. What's it that I could do for you now?'.
It is extremely reasonable to not reply to your boss after work. Because it is 'after work' not during work.
Work boundary is as important as a personal boundary. As it is the only way to teach people how to respect you.
Schedule a time with your boss and talk it out.
Not all the bosses are bad or inconsiderate, as being a boss is not easy at all.
They could be just too busy and not able to see things properly. Or, they are simply too into their works and forgot to care about his surrounding.
As an employee, you should allow other people to help you or you should help yourself.
Tell your boss that you are overwhelmed by the workload or you need some personal time to recharge.
Give them a chance to understand or learn about your situation. Usually, when someone is being vulnerable and honest, the other person would choose to understand.
Do not keep everything to yourself and blame the boss for not being able to understand you.
If none of the above works, you need to reconsider whether you are at the right place.
Some deadlines are indeed too close to one another. There would times that you need to reply ASAP to close the deal.
But it should not be too frequent that every single deadline is close with one another.
If a company or a boss does not care about you, why should you stay?
Perhaps you stay because of personal reason, such as personal commitment. But, are you ready to stay in such an environment for another 5 years?
Take your time to reflect and recharge yourself. Because you matter too.
*This article is inspired by this LinkedIn post. Read here for more perspectives
Cover photo source: Image
