A recent social media post from an advocate has sparked a conversation about the expectations placed on young employees regarding work hours. Advocate Ayushi Doshi shared a message from her junior colleague on X (formerly Twitter), commenting, “I can't believe my junior sent me this. Today's kids are something else. He stayed late, so now he's going to show up late to the office to ‘make up’ for it. What a move! I am speechless.”
In the message, the employee addressed his senior colleagues in a matter-of-fact tone, writing, “Hii Sir & Ma'am, I will be coming tomorrow at 11.30 am because I am currently leaving the office at 8.30 pm.” The employee’s straightforward explanation for his late arrival, due to his late departure the evening before resonated with social media users, sparking a range of reactions to his approach.
The post sparked a range of reactions, with many praising the younger generation for their boldness in openly addressing work-life balance. “Maybe he's trying to make sure he's as productive as possible without burning out. Younger employees sometimes bring a refreshing perspective on how to maintain efficiency without compromising their well-being!” wrote one of the X users.
Another user added, “Our profession has made this toxic exploitation the norm and widely accepted. However, there is nothing wrong in what your junior is expecting. You pay him for the hours he puts in, not for the draft. If his hours don't qualify as good enough, then YOU hired the wrong junior.”
However, in the comment section, Doshi explained why she was surprised by his junior’s move. She wrote, “To everyone commenting, let me clarify the situation. He was given a 3 deadline to complete a task that usually requires at least one full day of work. His working hours were from 10 AM to 7 PM, but if he wasn't able to finish within that time frame, he had to put in an barely 1.5 hours to complete the task. The issue is that he’s losing valuable time by being on his phone instead of staying focused on the work. When there’s a deadline to meet, sometimes a bit of extra time is necessary to get everything done!”
Responding to this, one user wrote, “With due respects, deadlines comes at cost so as his right to come at compensatory time. If he has to stretch, a flexibility to extend entry time must be considered. I think practical life must be cool beyond deadline.”