My Boss Kept Calling Me on My Days Off, so I Blocked Him

Several countries, including Portugal, France, and Belgium, have implemented laws that forbid bosses to contact employees outside of work hours. Moreover, there are many studies that suggest that granting workers enough time free of work troubles makes them happier and prevents burnout.

A Bright Side reader named Megan found herself in a tricky situation when she ignored her boss’s calls during the days she was on vacation. She sent us this letter, hoping that we could help her solve the problems she’s having at work.

Dear Megan, thank you for your letter! We at Bright Side got together to discuss your issue, and here is the best advice we could come up with to help you.

• Remind your boss, Ryan, about the importance of work-life balance. Even if you enjoy doing your job, that doesn’t mean you don’t need a vacation from time to time, and this should be the norm for every workplace. Overworked employees are also often less productive.
• Explain to your boss that you do not have to answer his calls outside of work hours, especially not when you have been approved for time off. You wouldn’t have had to block his number if he didn’t keep insisting and disrespecting the boundary between your work and personal life.

• Tell your boss that his attitude was very unprofessional. Calling you lazy and threatening to write a bad report about you aren’t things that should be done in any healthy work environment. It’s unfortunate that another co-worker called in sick, but it’s a manager’s job to deal with being short-staffed.
• Don’t worry about Ryan complaining to your higher-ups. You handed in your request for time off before your trip, and it was approved. Your supervisor will have to take this into account along with your general work performance. If you’re worried about them not understanding, you could talk to your supervisor directly as well.
• If Ryan doesn’t change his attitude and continues to give you a hard time, you might have to talk with your human resources department about him. Their job is to deal with work issues just like yours, and they will help you manage the situation.

We hope our advice can help you get out of this difficult situation.

What would you do in Megan’s position? Have you ever had a conflict with your boss? How did you solve it?