💸 Get Paid #2 - I work odd hours but don't want to be a #HorribleBoss
Business, career and other money making wisdom I’ve accumulated
If you’re a manager who works odd hours but doesn’t want to stress our your team, I really need to put you on the “Schedule Send” function in your email box.
Being a manager is a weird experience. In your mind, you’re a regular, schmegular person who’s eating your food, drinking your drink and minding your peace. In the mind of your direct report however, you’re a person with power over them. You have the power to “punish” them. You have the power to reward them. You have the power to evaluate/ judge them (Source). And when you have power over someone, it introduces certain power dynamics that you need to be mindful of.
The timing of your emails are a perfect example of this. As a manager, you may just be the type of person who works odd hours. And you may very well tell your team members that they are under no obligation to respond to you outside of working hours. However, I’ve found that whilst many team members feel comfortable ignoring your messages when they come outside of work hours, there are many who can’t.
One tool that I’ve started using a lot is the “Schedule Send” function on email. When I work weekends, instead of sending messages to team members, I just schedule them to send at appropriate work hours. That way I’m able to work when I want to work but I also don’t stress out certain types of team members. I think this is what the smart people call a win-win.