I've tried to be crystal clear about when I'm available and what my deadlines are, but a colleague can't take the hint and often sends me urgent requests outside of work hours AND expects an immediate response. This is causing me a lot of stress and making it difficult to maintain a healthy WLB. What's a good way to firmly but professionally reinforce my boundaries and manage expectations without hurting our working relationship?

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Totally been there. I had to start responding during work hours with a quick “Got this, I’ll take a look first thing tomorrow” to set the tone. It helped reinforce my boundaries without causing friction. Clear, calm, and consistent is the way to go.

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I'd like to think that people don’t mean to overstep, and maybe they just forget. I’ve found that consistency is key. Each time someone reaches out after hours, I'll wait until the next day to respond. Eventually, the pattern clicks.

Agree with the others, this is far easier to handle with a colleague than a boss!

I think a simple "I'm not available now but will get back to you asap" is probably best

That happened to me many times during the pandemic. Since I was working remotely I really didn't mind. Much different than working in an office where you get last minute requests that are expected to be completed that evening.

If you have clearly communicated.

One option is just don't respond on weekends. If you take this approach it helps to be communicative ahead of time. Thursday night or Friday morning send an email to ask if they need anything before the weekend.

Generally speaking, totally ok for you to not work on the weekends. And totally ok for them to email you on the weekends. And totally ok for you to ignore them in most cases.

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