Employee sets boundaries after their manager keeps assigning them with “urgent task” at 4:45 pm, when his work hours end at 5 pm: ‘Last week I finally said that I couldn't stay and would complete it first thing in the morning.’

Author image for María Cetra
María Cetra • Writer
Aug 6, 2026 10:30 AM EDT

If you didn't bother to tell your employee till 15 minutes before their shift ended, then maybe it's not that urgent.

What is it with these bosses that can't comprehend that when the work shift ends, the employee stops working? It's not that difficult. If an employee is hired to work from 9 am to 5 pm, then why would a boss expect that same employee to be working before 9 or after 5? They don't HAVE to do overtime. That is something they can agree or not to do, and if they do accept, they need to be compensated accordingly. So the fact that they expect these workers to stay several times a week overtime for free is completely outrageous. These employees get in this uncomfortable position whether they have to say no and get labeled as lazy or unprofessional, or say yes and be deemed to do that forever.

In the story below, the employee was put in the position for a long time. Until one day they decided to give up. They were putting so many things on the line just because of their boss's poor planning that it got to a point where they had to set boundaries or their personal life would be over. There needs to be a balance, and that balance can't be reached if you have to stay working late every single week. And all that effort, for what? They do not pay you more for it, the promotion is not secure, and your job becomes your full life.

Employees need to learn how to set boundaries. I know it's hard, but it is extremely necessary. You can't have your boss doing whatever they want with you and exploiting you. Overworking can cause health and psychological problems. You do not need to risk THAT MUCH for a job. You aren't some kind of CEO or founder, so they shouldn't be expecting you to stay overtime just because they failed to do their own jobs. Set boundaries, work just your shift, and have a more balanced life. You already work too much. Don't give away labor for free. 
 

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  • 01
    I've been at my company for about a year. Overall I like the job, the pay is decent, and my manager has always been friendly. The problem is that almost every week, usually on Thursdays or Fridays, I'll get a Teams message around 4:55 PM asking me to finish something "before tomorrow morning." These aren't five-minute tasks. They often take one to three hours and usually require
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  • 02
    A white clock with gold arrows on a wall.
    via Nicolas Arnold

    A white clock with gold arrows on a wall. 

  • 03
    checking data from several departments. My official work hours end at 5:00 PM, and I have about a 45-minute commute home. I also have evening responsibilities that make staying late difficult. The first few times I stayed because I wanted to make a good impression. But now it has become an expectation. If I say I'll do it first thing the next morning, my manager responds with things
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  • 04
    like, "I was hoping to have this tonight," or, "It would really help you could knock this out before you leave." What's confusing is that these assignments don't seem to be true emergencies. Sometimes they're reports that won't even be reviewed until the following afternoon. It feels more like poor planning than an actual business need. Last week I finally said that |
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  • 05
    couldn't stay and would complete it first thing in the morning. My manager wasn't ride, but they seemed disappointed and have been noticeably cooler toward me since then. Am I being unreasonable for expecting work assigned five minutes before the end of the day to wait until the next morning, unless it's a genuine emergency? Or is this just something employees are
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  • 06
    expected to accept if they want to be seen as team players? I'd appreciate hearing from managers or people who've dealt with something similar.
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  • 07
    People working on their computers at an office. Representation.
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    People working on their computers at an office.

    Representation.

  • 08
    Key Turnover_4564 This is called testing boundaries. If you don't push back, this will become the new norm.
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  • 09
    Emotional Band6880 "I understand that you were hoping to have it tonight, but that's not going to be possible when you bring it to me 5 min before EOD. I'll work on this first thing in the morning."
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  • 10
    PsyPup If it doesn't need to be done within the next few hours, it's not really urgent. IF it can wait till tomorrow, it waits till tomorrow.
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  • 11
    Snoo_33033 Nah. Eff that guy. I used to work for one of these. I worked for him for a year and he ruined many great nights of personal time that often were for no reason at all except that he didn't plan ahead for his own meetings with our founder. Then he sacked me eventually because he basically blamed anything he did wrong on the executives like myself who actually did the work.
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  • 12
    FlounderFun4008 Are these tasks that took longer than expected, known about but not communicated, someone dropped the ball, or came up last minute. Maybe approach it with them that you want to be proactive in getting these projects done before they become a last minute deadline because doing them after 5pm is difficult and you want to be able to be a team player. Is there a way to get these projects
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  • 13
    done project a day earlier so it's not last minute? Can you gather the numbers separately so you can have them ready to input? Essentially, is there something you can contribute to prevent the Thursday request?
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  • 14
    LawyerDad1981 "... they seemed disappointed..." They've been disappointed before. They will again. It's part of life.
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  • 15
    Remy_Jardin Have they commented on how much flair you are wearing yet? Another red flag.
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  • 16
    Sturdily5092 You need to set boundaries and expectations as soon as possible, even with your managers. Bending over backwards at all means you will always be a door mat, not your fault just how things work out. From the get-go, I tell them... - My hours are from 8am to 5pm and my lunch hour is my personal time, do not schedule meeting I need to attend
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  • 17
    during that time because I'll be unavailable. - I log out at 4:50pm, I have personal things I have to take care after 5pm. - I don't take work calls on my personal phone and don't check work email on my personal time. - After hours email can wait until the next workday.
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  • 18
    Fair-Literature8300 What is the culture of the company? Or what is the culture of the group? Is the rest of the team putting in longer hours? Maybe the boss is just trying to get you to work more than eight hours a day, or maybe he's trying to get you to shift your schedule. I once worked 6:30 to 3:30. I moved to another team where the boss worked
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  • 19
    8 to 5. Every single day, he made up urgent tasks, at the end of my day, that had to be done immediately. I finally figured out he just wanted me to stay later. I switched my working hours to match his schedule.And all of the made up urgent tasks disappeared
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corporate overworked-employees workplace boundaries work shifts
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