I think it’s so funny when your coworkers get mad at you for actually having boundaries when it comes to work-life balance.
My set day off of the week is Monday, and my department is closed on weekends, so that means Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I’m out. Every Tuesday, I log back in and I have a million messages. That’s totally fine.
I always have my out-of-office on, and it says that I’m off every Monday and that I’ll be back Tuesday. I always put in my out-of-office who you can contact in my department that’s working on Monday.
The Passive-Aggressive Response to Boundaries
This morning, I logged back in and one of my coworkers—she’s in a different department—sent me multiple messages Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday. I guess yesterday she was so mad that I wasn’t responding that she was talking to herself in my messages: “Oh, wow, you actually do take time off. I see that you’re off on Mondays. You’re actually off on Mondays. You’re not responding. You haven’t read my messages. That must be so nice.”
So this morning, I clocked in bright and early and I responded to her: “Yes, I do not work on my day off. I do not work when I’m not clocked in, and I do not work outside of my contract hours.” Sorry, not sorry.
She responded right away, super passive-aggressive: “It must be so nice to be you. It must be so nice to be able to disconnect and not think about this place or our patients.” Literally so angry that I’m not clocked in and devoted to the company every second of my life.
Why People Get Bitter About Work-Life Balance
This is why people are bitter. Because they don’t have any work-life balance, and because they set these expectations for themselves. They did this to themselves. That’s the part that kills me.
People expect you to reply, and people expect you to work outside of your normal hours—because you do that consistently. That’s your fault. Literally nobody’s fault but your own.
Every job I’ve worked at, I’ve had this experience. I don’t know why people are shocked that I’m not going to work when I’m not supposed to be working. I have a life, and I matter too.
Finding balance in life isn’t about being selfish—it’s about recognizing that your time and energy are finite. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you can’t be fully present at work if you never allow yourself to be fully present outside of it. Setting boundaries isn’t rude; it’s necessary.
