In a post over at Ask a Manager a woman describes her difficulty in coping with her husband’s intense work schedule at a small business. She writes that “he gets calls and text messages at all hours,” is “never working a regular shift,” and is afraid to tell his boss “no” when it comes to requests of additional hours. At times he is not even compensated for these hours.
The Manager, while noting that the husband must certainly be compensated for any hours worked, however attempts to direct the woman’s attention away from the husband’s employer and supervisor and at the husband. The Manager writes, “Your husband is making the choice not to set any boundaries, so it’s not surprising that there aren’t any boundaries in effect.”
An irregular work schedule is common, especially in certain industries (it turns out this man in particular works in repair). The real issue comes about in this employee’s inability to turn down the requests made by his employer to work extra hours and being compensated for those hours worked. To an extent, the never-ending calls and texts at all-hours are also stressors.
It sounds like this man’s schedule could become something more manageable if someone else was able to cover extra hours. Perhaps the employer should seek to hire an additional employee or ask someone else in the business to cover extra hours as well.
There are a number of questions to take away as a business leader. Do you feel that your employee is being honest to you regarding his or her personal ability and health to cover extra hours? How do you think the jobs you oversee impact the lives of not only your employees but their families too? And, are you being realistic in your expectations?
Consider Your Expectations
