SINGAPORE: A Singaporean worker took to an online forum to share that his boss only reaches out to him and his colleagues after official working hours, keeping them on a digital leash.
“Our working hours are from 9am – 5pm. However, based on observations for the past few months. He only starts contacting us around 4pm and usually will only stop maybe around 8pm – 9pm,” he wrote on r/askSingapore on Monday (Aug 19). “Is this normal working hours?”
The worker said he could have tolerated this if it happened twice a week, but dealing with it daily has become overwhelming for him and his team. “Not sure what to do in this scenario,” he said.
“He might be busy in the morning but I think is still think it’s not respectful of our time,” he added.
He also said that ignoring his boss’s messages would only warrant a ton of missed calls from him. “Our phones will receive 10 missed calls,” he exclaimed.
“Calls you 10 times? Ignore his calls.”
In the comments section, netizens shared a range of opinions and advice. Many sympathized with the worker, pointing out that constant after-hours messages can seriously disrupt work-life balance and lead to burnout.
They also recommended some clever ways to tackle the issue. One netizen said, “Give him a quick “hey I’ll be off for dinner soon; I’ll catch up on xxx tomorrow first thing! Every time he texts after office hours, say you left for dinner… After a while he should get it.”
Another commented, “You better do it 1 step ahead. Every morning, you go to the office and call him to update every project you manage. If he says he’s busy, you just don’t care and continue to update info. Treat him the way he’s treating you.”
However, if these methods fail to solve the problem, some netizens suggested escalating the matter to HR for intervention or scheduling a friendly conversation with the boss about aligning working hours with his availability.
Another option suggested was to ignore the boss’s messages and phone calls until he realizes they need ‘boundaries.’
One netizen explained, “People will treat you the way you allow them to treat you. If you keep on entertaining him after your work hours, there is no reason for him to change. Calls you 10 times? Ignore his calls.
Do not reply to his messages. He will get the point and either give up or confront you. If he confronts you, don’t panic; talk slowly, tell him you are not free after work.”
A few also suggested starting looking for a new job if his boss doesn’t change. One netizen said, “This is a terrible boss, so find a better job if possible.”
Another expressed, “Personally, this is a dealbreaker for me, so I’ll look for a job that the boss also not crazy slavedriver type. But now job hunting is not easy, so you have to decide whether you wanna suck it up and endure this kind of no-boundary boss.”
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