“Can You Stay Late?”: Why Staying Late at Work Stops Being Optional

The occasional request to stay late does not necessarily always seem out of place, as it may be accompanied by a sense of urgency or a deadline. But you know that something has changed when this repeated request becomes a habit. What was considered an occasional request has become, essentially, an expectation. This is not uncommon, as research from Psychology Today indicates, "The erosion of boundaries often begins with a series of minor, uncontested extensions of work time. Employees may agree to stay late one time, and then another, and another, and so on, until it becomes routine." The boundaries between work time and extended time are blurred, not because of policy, but because of repetition.

The reasoning for these demands is not always easy to determine because managers or colleagues might also be operating under their own set of demands or deadlines and/or a lack of understanding of how work is being apportioned. Such a set of events causes people to live on the edges of what they are capable of without necessarily realizing the impact of such a practice, according to Psychology Today. The impact is a cumulative effect for the employee. Working overtime sometimes may not have a large impact on a single occasion, but eventually it reduces the amount of "downtime" available for rest. Poor boundary setting contributes to increased stress and burnout potential for those who are unable to disconnect from work because of a lack of clear "shutoff" points, as seen in research cited by Psychology Today.

This disparity will, in turn, influence how the employee interacts with the workplace. The more the individual’s personal time is compromised, the less they will feel satisfied with the job. The fatigue slowly accumulates and starts showing up as irritability or lack of focus. What was once a willing engagement slowly evolves into a sense of obligation. The culture of the workplace defines the entire scenario at a macro level. For example, a culture that subtly acknowledges long working hours may inadvertently perpetuate the notion that working late is a measure of dedication. There may exist an unspoken sense of obligation, whereby the employee feels the need to comply even in the absence of direct command ( Psychology Today). The individual choices slowly morph into a collective norm.

Excessive work hours can cause people to start disengaging and be absent from work. The team’s productivity might seem to be high in the short term, but sustaining such high performance becomes challenging. This is where the importance of boundary management comes in. Effective communication of boundaries is needed in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Research has shown the importance of boundaries in the workplace. Employees who have their boundaries respected have the ability to recover and perform well. However, the need to work late is not always about the work; it is also about the way time and boundaries are managed in the work setting. This illustrates how easily work hours can be institutionalized in the work setting.