This is a post I wrote over a year ago but never posted. A recent event which entailed late night work texts, emails, and calls while on vacation and holiday reminded me that I had written this and resurfaced those deep feelings of a loss of personal sovereignty by being an employee. I don’t like this feeling.

I was informed at work this last week that I, a person who is a direct report of mine, and the broader team to work over, and then meet, this weekend, Sunday afternoon, with one of the executives about a proposal that is due to the customer 8 days later.

Early in the project I had warned that we’d need all of Monday to ensure the project was ready for internal executive review. Instead, this was chucked out the window, the explanation being that “we need to meet on the weekend in case Mr. Exec doesn’t like something, so we have time to fix it before the internal review – at 4pm Monday afternoon.”  What the actual FUCK?!?!?

Fuck this. I work too hard during the week, worry too much, and do everything I can during the week to have the threat of a weekend review with an Exec hanging over my head.

For a company that talks about Wellness as a core value, perhaps they should take a lesson in treating your employees like people, not expendable resources, vs requiring us to work until almost 7pm on the Friday before asking the team to work all weekend. Fuck this.

I’m sure the reactions to this can range from similar outrage that I’m experiencing, to oh come on, it’s just one weekend. To that I’d say, yes, but it’s one weekend I’ll never get back with my almost 1 year old son. And I didn’t even work all weekend, but the weight of this has been dragging in my mind the whole time. I didn’t sleep well, and I’ve been finding myself checking my work email. The question comes down to a philosophical question of who owns my time? Apparently, my employer thinks they own it on the weekends.

I had a few options on how to respond. I essentially caved, and grumbled to myself, and then later quite loud with my wife. Why? It’s a matter of confidence. I made the decision it wasn’t worth rocking the boat, getting a bad review (conveniently scheduled 1 week from this request).

If anything this has steadied my resolve to become Financially Independent. Nothing is worth this. But, the other consideration is do I need to wait then? No, of course not. I have options even if sometimes it feels like I don’t. Next time I can politely decline, but agree to do whatever they need during normal working hours and live with the consequences of that – most likely a lecture, etc, possibly a lower bonus or raise. Alternatively I can quit – we have the resources to make ends meet for quite a while, although it would seriously slow down our FI aspirations. 

But overall this is an example of the tyranny of having a full time job in today’s corporate world. The needs of the company are put first, and the fear of job loss or other painful but smaller consequences require obedience and the deterioration of individual sovereignty. There has to be a better way, and I think that way is FIRE.