Craig Verley

Work/life balance is one of the subjects for sessions at this week’s Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) annual conference. So, I figured this might be a good time to cut loose on one aspect of this subject that I know goes well beyond just the school PR and communications world.

If you are a team leader, manager, director, superintendent, or boss of any type and you message your employees after hours…please stop.  

The adoption of Teams, Slack, texting, etc. for work communications has been a blessing and a curse. The ease and immediacy of communication and its availability on our mobile devices can be a great benefit. However, it also means we cannot easily escape it if a message or text is sent after working hours.  

Unless it is truly urgent or an emergency, just don’t do it. I understand the impulse to act upon a thought or issue when it comes to mind during off hours. Resist that impulse and make a note to yourself somehow or set a reminder to address that thought first thing the next workday; or address it through an email to the employee that they would see when they get to work the following day. Yes, many of us get work emails on our phones, but many of us have learned to not open our work email apps after work so we can focus on our families and personal lives during those non-working hours.  

Messaging and texting employees after work hours is an intrusion into their personal time and is inconsiderate of their time.  

My previous position required me to basically be on-call 24/7 in case of emergency situations that needed to be addressed. The position was a part of emergency response plans. During the first few weeks with a new supervisor, that individual would text items occasionally in the early evenings (this was before adoption of Teams). One night, a boss texted me about something that was definitely not urgent nor an emergency at about 9:30 p.m. It was one of those-it should have been an email- type of messages. I politely replied asking that they not text me after 9:00 p.m. unless it was an emergency as I get up and run at 5:00 a.m. and am usually asleep by 9:30 p.m. My wife’s comment at that moment was, “You’re not going to get fired for that are you?” We should not have to worry about repercussions or getting fired for asking that our personal time be respected. Luckily, my supervisor apologized and observed my curfew from then on. I have had other supervisors where I may not have been as daring to put up a boundary like that.  

So, to all those bosses out there, especially in companies that claim to value a work/life balance…when those thoughts come to mind after working hours about a project, resist the urge to Teams/Slack/text your team members. Make yourself a note or set a reminder to address the topic first thing at the beginning of the next workday or send a quick email that the team will see when they get to work. This allows you to get the item off your mind and respects the personal time of your team members.  

A bonus for the bosses out there is that by taking easy steps to respect the after-work hours of your team, you may also find yourself able to be more present in your own life and that of your family. Granted, work never really seems to be completely off our minds, but at least it is a small step with a very positive impact.