#WorkLifeBalance #ClientExpectations #JobReality
So, I just overheard a conversation at work that really got me thinking. My boss mentioned something about “24/7 availability is a must” because a client scheduled a meeting at 9 PM. 🤯 Seriously? I can’t be the only one who feels this way! Here’s what I think:
- Boundaries Matter: Having a life outside of work is crucial. We can’t just be on call 24/7 and expect to be happy or productive. 😩
- Client Happiness vs. Employee Well-Being: Sure, we want our clients to be happy, but at what cost? If employees are drained and miserable, that’s a recipe for burnout. 😓
- Realistic Expectations: If this job demands constant availability, is it really a sustainable work environment? There should be a balance that respects both client needs and our sanity. ⚖️
It’s clear that companies need to reassess their expectations when it comes to client meetings and employee availability. I mean, can we really say that if someone can’t accommodate a 9 PM meeting, “this job isn’t for you?” 😤
What do you all think about this? Have you ever experienced a workplace where the expectation was for you to be available around the clock? How did you handle it?
Drop your experiences and tips below! Let’s chat! 💬
Wow. Part of me wants to imply you should be getting 24/7 on-call pay, but we both know they’re not doing that shit.
So your boss is going to be attending correct? Ask him to take good notes!
Are you salaried or hourly?
Get ten of your friends to be “clients”. Have several of them foreign sounding
Have them specifically request the boss by name at 9 PM, 2 AM, 5 AM. Daily meetings. Have them go off on the boss and complain to his manager after he refuses
Make the times unpredictable and during statutory holiday. Have them insist on the boss being present
He will learn his lesson fast
I used to have to do a lot of ‘after hours’ work. Mainly things like Township meetings. The company I work for would give comp time for that. 4 hours on a Wednesday night meant a half day on Friday. It was well worth it for me.
If no special arraignments are made via comp time or OT pay, then you work for a shit company and should start looking.
There is a salary i would do this for.
” So 24x7x365xMy Hourly Rate =…”
I once worked for an agency and the client took a vacation in Italy so she made everyone in Toronto come in at 2am for a status update. Our project managers were too spineless to say no. To this day I will never ever buy any Reebok products for this reason
“I will accommodate your client, and you will pay me fair market value every time I do.”
My response to out of standard requests was always, “What work package do you want me to charge my hours to on the OT line?”
I never backed down.
I would text back. For 3x my usual hourly wage. I can be available 24/7. For my regular hourly wage. I will be available during my usual hours.
Several years ago I took a job at a real estate services company that started expanding. They branded themselves as being available 24/7 and started to hold us employees accountable to it. I quit a little over a year into it because it was just too much. Went to another place with better work life balance.
Currently, that same employer is posting ads on indeed “urgently hiring” with the same excessive availability standard, but offering compensation between 80 and 100K.
I was tempted for a hot second. I’m rebuilding financially and struggling to get back where I was a few years ago. That pay rate would instantly solve my problems.
While I could negotiate for the top starting rate because I have over 2 decades experience and would require no training, I just can’t get over the lack of work life balance and the insane time demands. Plus I already know the heavy amount of stress I’d be taking on in that role.
No amount of money is worth it.
And then you’ll comp my time the next day and reimburse me for the babysitting, right? Right?
Boss wants executive level commitment from peon level workers? My, how the modern day aristocrats will overstep boundaries as if what they want is a reasonable thing.
I *can* be available 24/7 – if you want a 9 PM meeting, I’ll be about four hours late tomorrow to make up the time.
“my work hours were specified as between ?? and ??, my contract does not state that I am to be on call or that there are expected off hours I need to be available. If you require a change in our contracted agreement I will need to be fairly compensated for the hours I am expected to work outside of my scheduled hours.” Honestly the way corporate people expect their employees to have no work life balance.
If it’s not paid and no on call pay either, they can pound sand.
Meanwhile, boss/Ceo is at home or in a bar or at a retreat at 9pm. Then he’s playing golf or leaving early during a workday. Why are boss/Ceo get paid more and are important again?
Tell us who it is so we can vote w/ our capitalism. It’s the only thing they leave us.
I’ve taken the occasional late-night or super-early meeting because I work with folks from around the world and the realities of time zones mean that it’s going to be an inconvenient time for *someone*.
But 24/7 availability? Hell to the no.