In an ABC News column by Michelle Goodman, she notes the growing trend of people checking their work email while off the clock. She also points out that, in some companies, people are expected to respond to email even they’re off work. The result? People are going to the Dept. of Labor and even to court to say they deserve overtime.

Do they?

Goodman points out that the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed in 1938, originally “written for factory workers who punched a clock and had no way to continue working after hours.” But now, with mobile communication, people can be accessed 24/7.

So — the question stands: “When are you ‘off’ work?”

A few years ago the executive assistant for the president of a company that did $100,000,000 in annual sales came to me in tears. She told of her boss (the president) calling her whenever he felt like it to ask her to do things. “Sometimes he calls at 11PM to remind me he wants something done. He calls at 8:00 AM on Sunday, 9PM on Saturday — he doesn’t care. And he gets totally mad at me if I don’t answer the phone.” I gave her several recommendations, but she told me she was afraid she’d lose her job if she did any of them. To the best of my knowledge, she’s still with the company, fearful for her job if she stands up for herself.

In my opinion, the president of that company was rude and inconsiderate — and damn lucky his EA stuck around.

I happen to be a fan of Results Only Work Environments, or ROWE (see my input on this), in which boundaries are discussed and agreed-upon. But if you still have a traditional workplace with a 40-hour week and/or hourly employees, by all means — respect their time AWAY from work!

If people want to contribute their time and respond to email or do work while “off the clock,” that’s their choice. But to expect that they do it? Sorry — I think it’s just wrong.

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Filed in Technology, Work, Motivation, Leadership, Workplace, Corporate Culture, Retention