If your boss sends messages outside working hours without a real emergency, you should set assertive professional boundaries by delaying your response until the start of the next shift or having a clear conversation about channels and urgencies.
Strategies for managing communication outside working hours:
- Turn off notifications from work apps: Set up 'Do Not Disturb' modes on your personal phone or disconnect from corporate email outside working hours.
- Use scheduled replies: If you need to respond in writing, schedule the email or message to be delivered exactly at the start time of the next working day.
- Define what counts as an 'Emergency': Agree with your team on which scenarios truly qualify as emergencies and what the exclusive channel for handling them will be (for example, a direct phone call instead of instant messages).
