Man ‘Politely’ Asks Boss Not to Contact Him After Work Hours, but Manager Fires Back

The line between work and personal life can easily blur — especially when bosses don’t respect boundaries.

One marketing professional recently turned to Reddit to share his frustration with a manager who constantly calls after hours. The man, a contract employee, said his official workday runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., yet his boss regularly rings him “almost every night around 8 or 9 p.m. ‘just to check something quickly.’”

“Sometimes it’s one question, sometimes a 30-minute brainstorming session,” he explained. The constant interruptions meant he never had time to truly unwind, so he decided to speak up.

“Last week, I told him, politely, that I’d rather keep work calls during office hours unless it’s urgent,” he wrote. But the boss didn’t take it well. “He said, ‘If you want to grow here, you need to be available.’”

The employee admitted he now feels guilty — “like I’m being lazy” — but also hasn’t had “a proper evening off in months.” He asked the Reddit community if wanting clear boundaries was unreasonable or if this was just “normal corporate culture now.”

Commenters quickly rallied behind him. Many agreed that he was right to insist on work-life balance and criticized managers who disregard off-hours.

One user wrote, “Nah, after hours you shouldn’t have to answer calls or emails. Even if they come to your house, close the door in their face. Your contract goes from 9–6. If you want to, you can. But you don’t have to.”

Another pointed out that in Australia, employees are legally protected by a “right to disconnect” law that stops employers from contacting them after work hours.

A commenter also offered a subtle strategy: “Just don’t answer calls. When he asks, say, ‘Oh, sorry, I went to the movies last night. What was urgent?’ or ‘I was having dinner with friends.’ It keeps things polite but reminds him of the time boundaries.”

Others suggested going to HR: “If your company has an HR department, report this behavior. Your work does not have to be — nor should it be — your whole life.”