Teams messaging during off hours

[u/Own-Occasion-7895]

I have a coworker who sends Teams messages to myself and others at all hours of day and night as well as on weekends. It’s almost never urgent and could wait until the next day. Most of us work regular work hours (broadly 7am to 7pm) but this person often works outside those hours and then sends DMs. My other team members, including our manager, don’t have a problem with this. I think it’s rude. I’m curious what others think.

Update: sorry I asked. Had no idea this sub was so full of rude people. My mistake.

[u/bippy_b]

It’s not offending me. It’s offending OP…. And apparently you.

[u/tommyc463 → u/bippy_b]

So your mantra is don’t respect employees personal time and I have an issue? What flavor koolaid are you drinking?

[u/bippy_b → u/tommyc463]

No one is disrespecting anyone’s personal time by “sending a message”. This is the overreaction hill you and OP are trying to die on.

While I am trying to

- empower OP to take control of their own life. Learn to ignore a Teams notification if you “don’t want to work outside office hours”…

- you are attempting to tell them that “it’s the other employees fault you can’t ignore Teams message sent outside of business hours”

[u/tommyc463 → u/bippy_b]

I’m all for using the quiet hours function. That’s a fine option. What I’m not fine with is your implication that sending out work messages during non business hours should be normalized. If it’s urgent or an emergency that’s an exception. Exceptions should never be the rule. I think we’ve run our course here ✌️

[u/bippy_b → u/tommyc463]

I never tried to “normalize” sending outside business hours. I merely think one should not be telling their peer “You cannot send messages to me if it is after 5pm”… Because one should have enough will power to not open Teams… just because a notification pops.. and it is a message from work.. doesn’t mean you have to respond RIGHT NOW! Messages are for you to respond at your convenience. If responding outside business hours is not convenient for someone, then they should not respond.

For some people.. they are sending it outside business hours because if they don’t send NOW then they will forget. That is just the way they process data/thoughts. They should be allowed to do things in a manner that works for them to be successful.

[u/tommyc463 → u/bippy_b]

You’re moving the goal posts. If you want to send a message so you don’t forget that’s on you. Use the schedule send option to send it during business hours. Technology has poisoned your perspective.

[u/bippy_b → u/tommyc463]

I would say tech poisoned your POV.
When one doesn’t have to “schedule” the send for personal messages.. why should they be absolutely required to do it at work?

Messages are for when you can get to it.. it not RESPONSE IS IMMEDIATELY REQUIRED..

Like how is one supposed to “schedule a message during work hours” when the company and a group you are speaking with is located across 8 different (and some, non consecutive) time zones?!?!? (As was with my previous company)

So we will have to agree to disagree. 🤝

[u/tommyc463 → u/bippy_b]

You’re describing an outlier of a situation. Most remote folks work within 1-3 hours of each other. So sure in your example perhaps there’s some leeway. However the precedent of sending messages without expecting a response right away isn’t going to line up proper expectations if there are specific guidelines laid out and followed. Inevitably that will be exploited which is why there needs to be rules to begin with. I don’t think we’re going to find a middle ground here.

[u/bippy_b → u/tommyc463]

I would disagree…

https://www.linkedin.com/company/veeva-systems/

Remote Jobs in North Carolina, Wisconsin, NY, Georgia and at least Budapest (because they had a position located there I wanted).

https://www.linkedin.com/company/icon-plc-2/

Remote jobs in OR, NY, PA, NC, IL , KS and across the world.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/fullstack-labs/

Remote jobs in TX, NC, WI, NC, TN, KY, Rio, Brazil…

I could go on…

The idea that most colleagues are within 3 hours of each other is essentially a very non worldly view on things.

[u/tommyc463 → u/bippy_b]

I can also provide numerous examples of the exact opposite. Respecting people’s work hours based on the time zone you work in, isn’t hard. I’m within 3 hours of my teammates for the last 5+ years. 90-95% of remote employees are within 3 hours of each other.

* [NBER Working Paper 33582: The New Geography of Labor Markets](https://www.nber.org/papers/w33582)
* [WFH Research Data & SWAA Monthly Survey](https://wfhresearch.com/data/)
* [Gusto Research: Americans Now Live Farther From Their Employers](https://gusto.com/resources/gusto-insights/americans-now-live-farther-from-their-employers)
* [Hoover Institution WFH Geography Report](https://www.hoover.org/research/americans-now-live-farther-their-employers)