Manager spends 6 months demanding work on weekends, employee refuses to continue before big project deadline: 'Hope you're not busy'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jun 3, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

Is there any scenario when it's acceptable for a 9-to-5 boss to contact their employee out of hours?

When most people sign up to do the average job, they expect that there is going to be a time of day when they get to clock out and at least try not to think about it for a little while. Taking work home with you is not uncommon, especially these days when so many work from home, but many would agree that having that mental reset without deliverables on the brain is important.

However, there are some managers who do not seem to agree that there should be certain times that are off-limits for work. Sure, there are certain professions where being on-call is not a choice, but there is little in the average office job that is so urgent that somebody has to dedicate their weekend to it. At most, this kind of overtime should be considered an optional rarity when things are especially busy, or somebody is especially behind.

With one person on a team showing eagerness to work beyond their assigned hours, it can become something that other employees feel obliged to do. Most of the time, though, it doesn't have to be this way.

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A project coordinator who had been with his company for two years began noticing a habit from his boss that he didn't enjoy. He had begun to text him about work on weekends. Over the course of a few months, it had become a regular occurrence, and he had begun to feel pressured to attend to work matters when he was supposed to be having a break.
He had hit a breaking point with it, and he decided that he needed to address his boss and tell him that he wasn't going to do this anymore. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.
Would I be wrong for telling my manager I won't be available on weekends anymore, even though we have a big deadline coming up?

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