'Is It Okay For Your Boss To Text You After Work?'

It's not okay for your manager to text you outside of work hours, says rediffGURU Archana Deshpande, life coach and founder of TransformMe Life Skills Coaching.

Does your manager text or e-mail you after office hours?

Do you work under a leader who doesn't appreciate or acknowledge your ideas?

Do you feel less confident expressing your feelings at work?

"There are always solutions to problems," says rediffGURU Archana Deshpande, life coach, image consultant and founder of TransformMe Life Skills Coaching.

Archana has been working with individuals and corporate organisations for more than 10 years, during which she has helped professionals and students improve their soft skills, build confidence and enhance self-esteem.

• You can post your questions to rediffGURU Archana Deshpande HERE.

Anonymous: Is it okay if my manager keeps texting me outside of work hours, even on weekends, for non-urgent things?
He sees me online on WhatsApp and expects me to respond.
If I don't reply, he gets offensive and takes it out at work, in front of the team, which is very embarrassing. What should I do?

Hi. It is not okay for your manager to text you outside of work hours. Period.

You have to set boundaries now.

Talk to him and tell him that since you are extremely busy after you reach home, it is not possible to reply to messages.

Have two different numbers for the office and personal work.

Shut the office phone once you reach home.

Respond to him in the team meeting and tell him that once you reach home, you really cannot take any calls or reply to messages.

There are always solutions to problems. Find them and learn to set boundaries courageously.

If you are a woman and he texts you like this, then embarrasses you in team meetings, you can take action against him.

Take care of yourself! All the very best.

Anonymous: I recently led a project on which I ended up doing most of the work myself because I was unsure if others would deliver on time.
The project was successful but I felt exhausted and knew it was not sustainable.
How can I develop more trust in my team while maintaining accountability?

Hi. A leader is one who leads, right?

So your biggest role as a leader is to get the job done from others.

It's good that you have realised that the model where you do most of the work is not sustainable. Delegate work to individuals based on their capabilities and check in on them at regular intervals.

Learn the art of the leadership model where you apply different strokes to different people and at different times.

Identify your natural leadership style and adopt the right style of leadership based on the kind of team members you have and the task at hand.

Conduct workshops or get your personnel trained on what it means to be a trustworthy team member and how important it is to be accountable in the greater interest of the team.

You may also enrol in a leadership programme. As a corporate trainer myself, I can assure you that every skill can be learnt and developed.

Be an inspiring leader and then see how your team will measure up to the standards you set for them.

I always believe that the team is as good as the boss.

All the very best in leading your team.

Anonymous: I have an MBA in marketing. I graduated in 2023 and got placed on campus in Pune.
In my team, everyone is obviously more experienced and I don't feel encouraged enough to share my ideas and plans.
In my appraisal report, my manager has mentioned this as a weak area that I need to work on. I am not sure how to approach the situation.

Hi, you have been working with this company since 2023. It's been close to a year and a half since you have been working here.

You are still young and new in this company, there is so much to learn and grow.

Take your manager's feedback and work on it.

You said you don't share your ideas and plans because everyone is more experienced than you. It's time to change this.

Raise your hand in meetings, say you have an idea to share and then share your ideas in a loud and clear voice.

Initially, your leader should have encouraged you to speak and he should have made you comfortable. If it didn't happen, it won't happen now.

Please take charge of the situation now without the blame game. Be confident and share your ideas.

You are also experienced now.

All the very best!!

• You can post your questions to rediffGURU Archana Deshpande HERE.

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