Lately, work-life balance have become a hot topic of discussion especially in the corporate world where employees are often expected to stretch beyond their working hours, including on weekends, without any extra pay or perks.
While it might sound annoying, this, sadly is the reality for many corporate employees.
If you too are bombarded with work on weekends on a regular basis, then here we list some professionally ways to say ‘No’ to requests to work extra on weekends.
When you get a mail past 5.30pm on a Friday
Instead of ignoring the email or restarting work when you are all set for the weekend, choose to respond and not react to the situation. You can say something on the lines of, “I’ll work on this first thing on Monday morning. For any urgent matters, that cannot wait till Monday, please call me directly.” This sets the tone that you are professional about your working hours, without being rude. Also, it shows that for urgent matters you are willing to stretch if need be.
1. When someone give a last minute task which is additional work for you
Instead of rejecting any given work, especially by a boss, you can politely say, “I can dedicate 30 minutes of my time for this on Monday or I would be happy to work on it if you could please mention the tasks that are of high priority to you. This way I can focus on things that truly matter for the day.” This helps in setting subtle boundaries regarding overwork in team.
2. When you are made to feel guilty for taking a weekend off
Many times, managers and bosses can make employees feel guilty of not putting in the extra effort especially during weekends– which a person is ideally entitled for. If that’s the case with you, you can politely say, “I understand some people are putting in extra hours at work. However, I have family/ personal commitments lined-up for the weekend. I can reprioritse my Monday morning and ensure this task is completed on priority then.”
3. When your commitment to work is being questioned for not working on weekends
While hardwork is important for one’s success, recharging and relaxing are equally crucial for one’s productivity. And so, when your commitment to work is being questioned for not working on weekends, you can politely say, “I’m committed to my work. I want to ensure that I’m fully recharged and focussed during my working hours and so would prefer to take my weekends off. Do let me know what specific work is of high priority, and I will work on it first thing on Monday morning.”
4. When there’s an emergency by the client
In such situations, one can politely yet firmly say, “I understand the urgency. Let me help with what specifically needs to be done right now; the rest will be done on priority on Monday.” This shows that you are professional enough to work on urgent tasks, however you are also mindful of your extra time at work.
