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Log off, get a life and stop responding to work emails


Theoldjaffa
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Easier said than done.

 

With the world being connected so closely with technology these days, the line between day and night at work is almost blurred out. Of course, depending on your role and responsibilities, some sure can but many are unable to.

 

With time zone differences, trying to hold a meeting regularly among continents is already a challenge. I sometimes wake up at 3am to a push mail on my phone and ended up replying to it.

 

The only way to log off after 6 pm is totally off the phone and stay away from the computer, but then how to post on FB, IG and mcf. [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

i remembered that i have a customer who said "i dun care abt time differences between US & Spore...tat is not my problem as long as response is given within 24hrs...."

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work life balance is an individual thing, company or govt can't do much. It is the company culture and if it doesn't fit you, quit and look elsewhere, you can't ask the owner to change cos it is his company.

 

there are also people who dun want work life balance, they are so proud to hold 2-3 phones, talk about work and read and reply email while on holiday, make them look very important. Well if that suit them why blame the company? company operates in their own way to survive, not to suit your lifestyle.

Their work life balance is 90% work, 10% life
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work life balance is an individual thing, company or govt can't do much. It is the company culture and if it doesn't fit you, quit and look elsewhere, you can't ask the owner to change cos it is his company.

 

there are also people who dun want work life balance, they are so proud to hold 2-3 phones, talk about work and read and reply email while on holiday, make them look very important. Well if that suit them why blame the company?  company operates in their own way to survive, not to suit your lifestyle.

Quite true. You cannot say anything to people who treat their work like their life, as long as they are alive and awake, they think of work, checking email, off work late etc. If you happen to work in such company or under such bosses, and their style doesnt suit you or it is affecting you, no choice but to quit and move on with life.

 

I have seen such bosses before, who expect their subordinate to reply email during working hours within mins, regardless the email is important or not.  

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Quite true. You cannot say anything to people who treat their work like their life, as long as they are alive and awake, they think of work, checking email, off work late etc. If you happen to work in such company or under such bosses, and their style doesnt suit you or it is affecting you, no choice but to quit and move on with life.

 

I have seen such bosses before, who expect their subordinate to reply email during working hours within mins, regardless the email is important or not.

dun get me wrong, i am not saying ork life unbalance is not good. In fact i think the strawberries nowadays asking for too many entitlement and not working hard enough.

 

if everyone dun chiong for the economy and all go home after 5pm, all shops will closed at 6pm.

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dun get me wrong, i am not saying ork life unbalance is not good. In fact i think the strawberries nowadays asking for too many entitlement and not working hard enough.

 

if everyone dun chiong for the economy and all go home after 5pm, all shops will closed at 6pm.

 

Either get used to it, or get out lor.

 

I really don't like anyone calling me  [laugh] The only person who speaks to me on the phone is my mum  [:p] Not even my wife calls me.

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dun get me wrong, i am not saying ork life unbalance is not good. In fact i think the strawberries nowadays asking for too many entitlement and not working hard enough.

 

if everyone dun chiong for the economy and all go home after 5pm, all shops will closed at 6pm.

There is no wrong or right on this la. If you want to work hard, good for you. But if you think work is not the priority in your life, also so be it. Lol. 

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after 6pm, says Amazon's India chief.

 

Personally, I try not to work after office hours unless it's absolutely necessary. That's why bosses are important. I know of some managers who ask their subordinates to do PowerPoint slides for them even during CNY Day 2. Such bosses don't understand work is never ending. It's hard to strike a balance, but we must try.

 

**********

 

https://www.todayonline.com/world/log-get-life-and-stop-responding-work-emails-or-calls-after-6pm-amazons-india-chief-tells

 

BANGALORE â The head of Amazon.comâs India business has a radical idea for his troops: Log off, get a life.

 

In an memo to his team this month, Mr Amit Agarwal counselled colleagues to stop responding to emails or work calls between 6 pm and 8 am in the interest of âwork-life harmony".

 

He also talked about the importance of work discipline and how to draw the line.

 

The leaked note has broken through the sleep-deprived haze in the technology hub of Bangalore to set off heated discussions on social networks and WhatsApp chat groups.

 

Mr Agarwal is a senior vice president at the Seattle-based retail behemoth, which has a reputation of fostering a cutthroat work culture and driving employees to burnout.

 

Many in India wondered if this represented a softer turn for the company.

 

Mr Agarwal has previously served as an executive assistant to Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, who is often painted as a demanding boss. An Amazon representative in India declined to comment on the email.

 

India, with its more than 1.3 billion people, has become a fierce battleground for Amazon.com, and the company has committed some US$5.5 billion to building up its network there.

 

Recently Amazon lost out to Walmart in a bid to buy Flipkart Online Services, Indiaâs leading e-commerce operator.

 

While the demands of technology on workers has become a topic of debate around the world, work-life balance is severely off kilter in Bangalore, Indiaâs third-largest city, where a significant portion of the one million workers employed in the outsourcing business cater to global customers and often work late into the night.

 

Itâs even more lopsided in the up-and-coming startup industry, where late-night meetings and weekend calls are the norm.

 

Psychologists, sleep laboratories and fertility clinics have raised concerns about the mental and physical toll wrought by the frenetic work schedule.

 

Insomnia, depression and suicidal tendencies are rampant symptoms, said Dr S Kalyanasundaram, a well-known psychiatrist who sees many technology workers in his thriving south Bangalore practice.

 

âThese days I see many 25- and 28-year-olds suffering heart attacks, something I havenât seen in my four decades in this field,â he said.

 

The doctor said all of his Saturday appointments are reserved for tech workers and often booked months in advance.

 

âFor many, thereâs only one life and thatâs the work life,â Dr Kalyanasundaram said. âItâs a disaster; itâs a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.â

 

In startups from Bangalore to Delhi, founders and top executives lead the gruelling pace by example.

 

Mr Ritesh Agarwal, the founder of the travel unicorn OYO Rooms and unrelated to the Amazon executive, said he gets minimal sleep during the work week. To catch up, he goes to sleep early on Saturday night and wakes up at midday on Sunday.

 

In Bangalore, Mr Byju Raveendran, founder and chief executive officer of the education tech startup BYJUâs said he and his teammates leave recreation to late night hours, sometimes starting football games at midnight and ending as late at 2 am.

 

Businesses from food delivery startups to late-night sports arenas cater to the insomniac workers.

 

Mr Dilip Vamanan, founder of an e-commerce data analytics startup called SellerApp, that helps merchants sell on Amazon, said he clocks 14 hours a day in the office.

 

After that, he takes calls and responds to emails at home. His colleagues complain of back aches, insomnia and stress.

 

Amazonâs Mr Agarwal, may have an inspired idea, but it may be harder to implement than it would seem.

 

âIndian startups have a lot to prove,â said Mr Vamanan. âThey are nowhere near a scale where founders can step back and turn on the auto mode.â

 

BLOOMBERG

When the bosses' sai goon, all welfare are thrown out of the window.
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after 6pm, says Amazon's India chief.

 

Personally, I try not to work after office hours unless it's absolutely necessary. That's why bosses are important. I know of some managers who ask their subordinates to do PowerPoint slides for them even during CNY Day 2. Such bosses don't understand work is never ending. It's hard to strike a balance, but we must try.

 

**********

 

https://www.todayonline.com/world/log-get-life-and-stop-responding-work-emails-or-calls-after-6pm-amazons-india-chief-tells

 

BANGALORE â The head of Amazon.comâs India business has a radical idea for his troops: Log off, get a life.

 

In an memo to his team this month, Mr Amit Agarwal counselled colleagues to stop responding to emails or work calls between 6 pm and 8 am in the interest of âwork-life harmony".

 

He also talked about the importance of work discipline and how to draw the line.

 

The leaked note has broken through the sleep-deprived haze in the technology hub of Bangalore to set off heated discussions on social networks and WhatsApp chat groups.

 

Mr Agarwal is a senior vice president at the Seattle-based retail behemoth, which has a reputation of fostering a cutthroat work culture and driving employees to burnout.

 

Many in India wondered if this represented a softer turn for the company.

 

Mr Agarwal has previously served as an executive assistant to Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, who is often painted as a demanding boss. An Amazon representative in India declined to comment on the email.

 

India, with its more than 1.3 billion people, has become a fierce battleground for Amazon.com, and the company has committed some US$5.5 billion to building up its network there.

 

Recently Amazon lost out to Walmart in a bid to buy Flipkart Online Services, Indiaâs leading e-commerce operator.

 

While the demands of technology on workers has become a topic of debate around the world, work-life balance is severely off kilter in Bangalore, Indiaâs third-largest city, where a significant portion of the one million workers employed in the outsourcing business cater to global customers and often work late into the night.

 

Itâs even more lopsided in the up-and-coming startup industry, where late-night meetings and weekend calls are the norm.

 

Psychologists, sleep laboratories and fertility clinics have raised concerns about the mental and physical toll wrought by the frenetic work schedule.

 

Insomnia, depression and suicidal tendencies are rampant symptoms, said Dr S Kalyanasundaram, a well-known psychiatrist who sees many technology workers in his thriving south Bangalore practice.

 

âThese days I see many 25- and 28-year-olds suffering heart attacks, something I havenât seen in my four decades in this field,â he said.

 

The doctor said all of his Saturday appointments are reserved for tech workers and often booked months in advance.

 

âFor many, thereâs only one life and thatâs the work life,â Dr Kalyanasundaram said. âItâs a disaster; itâs a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.â

 

In startups from Bangalore to Delhi, founders and top executives lead the gruelling pace by example.

 

Mr Ritesh Agarwal, the founder of the travel unicorn OYO Rooms and unrelated to the Amazon executive, said he gets minimal sleep during the work week. To catch up, he goes to sleep early on Saturday night and wakes up at midday on Sunday.

 

In Bangalore, Mr Byju Raveendran, founder and chief executive officer of the education tech startup BYJUâs said he and his teammates leave recreation to late night hours, sometimes starting football games at midnight and ending as late at 2 am.

 

Businesses from food delivery startups to late-night sports arenas cater to the insomniac workers.

 

Mr Dilip Vamanan, founder of an e-commerce data analytics startup called SellerApp, that helps merchants sell on Amazon, said he clocks 14 hours a day in the office.

 

After that, he takes calls and responds to emails at home. His colleagues complain of back aches, insomnia and stress.

 

Amazonâs Mr Agarwal, may have an inspired idea, but it may be harder to implement than it would seem.

 

âIndian startups have a lot to prove,â said Mr Vamanan. âThey are nowhere near a scale where founders can step back and turn on the auto mode.â

 

BLOOMBERG

Wah ... we need to get these hard-working ones here, instead of continuing to import those not-so-diligent ones, more talk than action.
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work life balance is an individual thing, company or govt can't do much. It is the company culture and if it doesn't fit you, quit and look elsewhere, you can't ask the owner to change cos it is his company.

 

there are also people who dun want work life balance, they are so proud to hold 2-3 phones, talk about work and read and reply email while on holiday, make them look very important. Well if that suit them why blame the company? company operates in their own way to survive, not to suit your lifestyle.

I got 2 phones leh.

 

But that is to keep work and life separate.

 

Work is work and life is life.

 

Hoeever, sometimes I do work a little during weekday evening while waiting for kid enrichment class.

 

Or when rushing for report/submission that has deadline.

 

Key is to be flexible.

Also tell key business partners beforehand when I am going on holiday.

 

So not obligated to answer phone calls or reply emails.

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Either get used to it, or get out lor.

 

I really don't like anyone calling me [laugh] The only person who speaks to me on the phone is my mum [:p] Not even my wife calls me.

I only answer call immediately when I see caller ID that shows

Wife, Mum, Dad, Childcare.

 

No ID one wait until I have time then call back.

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I got 2 phones leh.

 

But that is to keep work and life separate.

 

Work is work and life is life.

 

Hoeever, sometimes I do work a little during weekday evening while waiting for kid enrichment class.

 

Or when rushing for report/submission that has deadline.

 

Key is to be flexible.

Also tell key business partners beforehand when I am going on holiday.

 

So not obligated to answer phone calls or reply emails.

One phone or two phones, some bosses expected you to answer the call or reply message he/she send to you fast even after office hours de. Even it is not stated in your job scope that you need to be 24/7 standby.

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One phone or two phones, some bosses expected you to answer the call or reply message he/she send to you fast even after office hours de. Even it is not stated in your job scope that you need to be 24/7 standby.

My boss never call me after office hours.

 

But my boss boss did before during PH.

I was driving so didn't answer,

So I reply only after that.

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My boss never call me after office hours.

 

But my boss boss did before during PH.

I was driving so didn't answer,

So I reply only after that.

Some boss dont really call you much after office hours, but if they really do call you, they expect you to response lo. So cannot totally never response or take more than half a day or even 1 day later then response. Believe most bosses would not be happy de. Unless you have a very valid reason why you never or cannot response.  [rolleyes]

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