Why Do Bosses Want Us to Check In Before Leaving? Is It Really Necessary?

Dear friend,

Usually, bosses work at their desks after office hours to complete any pending tasks. For this reason, bosses ask their subordinates to inform them before leaving. Is it necessary to do this? Why do they want to do this? Everyone is working within time limits, but in some cases, this practice is necessary. Is there any control over this situation? Please share your comments.

Regards,
:wink:
PBS KUMAR

Yeah, a very good point of discussion. I think this is happening in a number of organizations. Bosses want to be informed by their subordinates while they are leaving the office. I fail to understand why this is happening? Unless, of course, there is some important work lined up.

The team should be assigned the KRAs and their assignments, and it should be up to them when and how they do it. Time management and efficiency should be counted, not long working hours.

Even I don't understand the reason why some bosses do that. Do they just want to be bossy or is it something else? Or do they want to feel important and powerful?

The point I would suggest is to view the situation from the other side as well, i.e., why not from the boss's point of view. It happens that the overtime being done by the boss involves valuable inputs like technical/statistical details related to the subject, which can be readily supplied by the subordinate from that department. So if the subordinate informs/takes permission before leaving, the boss is obviously made aware of the facts which he may not receive after the subordinate departs, allowing him to plan his work accordingly to avoid timely inconveniences.

It will be helpful if we think of our boss as a good human being without any sadistic pleasures or superiority complex.

Hi Kumar,

You seem to have a wrong notion of the boss. Bosses are not only the departmental/divisional/branch/regional heads but also instrumental in taking their department to greater heights, which means that the employees in the department are also carried along to greater heights.

Why do you have to think that bosses are policing the subordinates? In today's competitive work environment, the traditional 9 to 5 work hours may not be sufficient to keep up with others. Everyone has to put in a little more effort to meet the present-day delivery schedules.

Furthermore, there could be several reasons for the boss to know when you are leaving the office for the day:

a) To discuss issues or developmental works in depth, as non-working hours are usually less disturbed and away from the usual working conditions.

b) To share and exchange ideas freely without many interruptions.

c) To obtain necessary details from you when the boss is working on a specific task since you may have files/papers/data that are required before you leave for the day.

d) It is a routine practice, just like informing elders/spouse at home about leaving and the expected time of return.

e) To review the day's tasks and plan for the next day. While this can be done during working hours, non-working hours are generally less disturbed.

To grow in the organization, I believe we should be willing to compromise a bit by working extra for our own benefit and the organization as a whole. The boss may expect you to inform him/her when you are taking the day off so that he/she can provide guidance on jobs/assignments.

Please try to see everything in a positive light.

Cheer up and Good luck.

Regards,

Dhinakaran

You seem to have a wrong notion of the boss. Bosses are not only the departmental/divisional/branch/regional heads but also instrumental in taking their department to greater heights, which means that the employees in the department are also carried along to greater heights.

Why do you think that bosses are policing the subordinates? In today's competitive work environment, the traditional 9 to 5 schedule may not suffice to keep up with others. Everyone needs to put in extra effort to meet present-day delivery schedules.

Furthermore, there could be several reasons for the boss to know when you are leaving the office for the day:

a) To have in-depth discussions on issues or developmental works, as non-working hours provide a quieter environment away from the usual working conditions.
b) To freely share and exchange ideas without many interruptions.
c) To obtain details from you when working on a specific task since you may have the necessary files or data that can be handed over before you leave.
d) It is a common practice, similar to informing family members at home about leaving and expected return time.
e) To review the day's tasks and plan for the next day, which can be more efficiently done during non-working hours.

Additionally, to progress in the organization, a willingness to work extra for personal growth and the organization's benefit is crucial. The boss may expect you to inform them when taking a day off so they can provide guidance on tasks or assignments.

Please consider everything in a positive light.

I AGREE WITH DINAKARAN.

YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO LEAVE THE OFFICE AFTER HOURS.

HOWEVER, IN THIS COMPETITIVE WORLD, THERE IS A GIVE-AND-TAKE DYNAMIC. IF YOUR BOSS IS STILL IN THE OFFICE, THEY SIMPLY WANT YOU TO INFORM THEM BEFORE YOU LEAVE.

WHAT'S THE HARM IN THAT?

LIFE IS SO COMPETITIVE THAT YOU CAN'T OPERATE IN CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTS THE SAME WAY AS IN PSU'S.

BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, NO BOSS WILL LIKE TO HAVE YOU AS A SUBORDINATE. YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION FELT AND BE AVAILABLE WHEN YOUR BOSS NEEDS YOU.

ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR WORK, YOU CAN LEAVE AFTER INFORMING YOUR BOSS.

AFTER ALL, THEY ARE THE BOSS, YAAR!

Well Kumar, I really don't understand the issue here. If he is expecting you to do unrelated work or his personal business then of course I understand the argument here.
A boss needs to know what is going on with his staff. When they are in and when they are not in may concern him because he is in the end answerable to his boss or the other stake holders. This also may prevent from giving out misinformation.
In my opinion it is quiet Ok for us to pop our heads and just give a wave to say we are on our way home!!! I don't think it's asking me much.
Correct me if I am wrong pals!!!!!

Hi everybody,

Let me at the outset WISH YOU ALL "A GREAT & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR-2007 WHICH WOULD USHER IN OVERALL BRIGHTNESS IN OUR LIVES."

I am really enlightened by various good responses about the issue.

In my opinion, a boss or a subordinate must always keep some priorities of their tasks for the day and for the week. As rightly pointed out by our friends, it can so happen that the boss may be dependent on your inputs for a better productive output, and at times he/she may not know anything about the filing and other systems which the subordinates normally are expected to take care of. In such situations, it is obvious that he would expect the subordinate to be present until the completion of the target. But it may not be the case every day. IT IS NORMALLY CONSIDERED THAT A PERSON WHO STAYS BACK AFTER OFFICE HOURS, UNLESS WITH SPECIFIC TARGETS SUCH AS CONFIDENTIAL NATURE AND CREATIVE THOUGHT NECESSITATING GOOD AMBIENCE AND SERENITY IN THE ATMOSPHERE, IS considered unproductive or less efficient if it becomes a practice every day, inviting trouble from his subordinates too.

During the span of almost 17 years of my experience, I observed that some typical Workaholic Bosses who never think of anything other than work most of the time, failing in Work-Life Balance, tend to behave erratically and make the lives of subordinates miserable. They are superficial and feel that a team of people should be around him until he calls it a day. In some circumstances, the productivity levels are at a minimum, yet we find bosses cheerful, unmindful of the time and energy that was put in achieving nothing. These situations are to be avoided, and we can always suggest to the bosses through the accepted channels to correct their weaknesses.

Hence, to perceive negatively or positively depends on the interpersonal relations and varies from situation to situation. No tailor-made solution can be suggested for this. One needs to evolve his own strategies to cope with stress and bad bosses too, which gives them new insights for learning and prepares them to be the future good bosses.

But, I suggest before commenting on any situation, we must put ourselves into the shoes of the other person and feel the pinch/comfort in it.

Thanks for reading an elaborate reply from my side. Suggestions are welcome.

Regards,

Srinivaskvmk

Looks like there's a lot of commotion around this... :)

This definitely depends on situations and the leadership style you have. Experience is even more amazing when you are on both sides.

Here's a personal example:

As a boss, I generally have a short discussion over a coffee break with one of my subordinates during the day to get a quick update on things done and pending. Hence, if I feel I need to know the status before the day ends, I might ask the member to inform me before leaving, just in case.

This is not necessary with members with whom I have discussed and defined a time frame for activities (the follow-up can be done via emails!).

While leaving the office, I would just check with my superior if he needs any specific updates apart from the ones already discussed and if there's anything that needs to be worked on mutually for the next workday.

This works really well for me. Of course, the culture of the company helps this process. I am lucky to have a boss who comes to my desk and says, "hey! it's time to go home."

Regards,

Kamal

Hi!

I agree with what Dhinakaran, Kamal, and Srinivas have to say. I would like to point out something interesting. At a large MNC (I won't take names here), they have a policy to send people home. It is mandatory for them to go home at least once a week since they are known to have workaholics in that organization.

What I feel is bosses really don't have the time to "boss around"; they might be simply concerned about the well-being of their subordinates or concerned about finishing a task that requires a subordinate's help/inputs (especially when it requires the attention of a specialist). They would/should be more than happy to empower their workforce and delegate the work rather than doing petty things. They need to be freer to train/learn to take up other responsibilities for the future. They could use their expertise for something else.

Regards, Shyamali

By the way, for those who think it's not a great idea to tell your boss before you head home, here are some simple practices that you can follow:

Take initiative in planning:
Ensure to discuss all the details of the tasks to be completed by the day's end. Even better if you can briefly discuss these tasks with your boss for the rest of the week.

Set your own deadlines for deliverables; this works great! If you commit to a deadline yourself, you'd ensure you complete it as decided.

Send a status update regularly: if you keep sending your boss regular updates (without being followed up) on your decided tasks, the boss knows where you are heading and will correct/mentor if you go off track or call a discussion if needed.

Before the end of the day (usually around an hour before you leave), send the status of completed tasks and pending tasks to your boss.

With this done, your boss knows you are proactively working on the decided tasks and activities and wouldn't say, "hey, tell me before you head home."

However, it's a good idea to just say goodbye to your boss before heading home :)

Regards,

Kamal

Hi everyone!

The topic of discussion is quite interesting.

I agree with the views of Mr. Dhinakar, Srinivas, and Kamal.

There is a certain code of conduct, though not explicitly stated in the company's policy, that employees are expected to follow.

I don't agree with the opinion that just because a boss expects his subordinates to say bye to him, he can be labeled as bossy!

Mr. Kumar is expressing his opinion without considering the viewpoint of the other person. The point I see in this situation is nothing but communication. One has to communicate with his superior when he leaves the office at the end of the day, a courtesy expected of you. This is the time where you can give a brief report on the day's work. If there is any pending work, specify the time at which you will be able to submit the same. Please don't be under the impression that your boss will be available at his office always. Unless and until you communicate with him properly, you may not be aware of his busy schedule for the next day. If you need to discuss something, you need to put in a word with him beforehand so that he can accommodate you in his busy hours. He should be kept informed of the day-to-day activities, and if you have taken leave for the next day, it would be better to remind your boss about the same at the end of the day, so that he can plan things accordingly. It shows your initiative and diligence rather than your boss coming and asking about the status of your progress.

I am sure Mr. Kumar definitely is in the habit of saying bye to your colleagues when you leave the office. So, what is the harm in saying the same thing to your boss? It shows there exists some communication gap between you and your boss.

You can definitely work it out!

Cheers!

Rakhee

Hi everyone,

I am an entry-level professional and hence come in the 'subordinate' category. Please note that my views will be biased (at least a bit) due to this fact. Keeping that in mind...

The suggestions for time management given here are excellent, but shouldn't they be applicable to bosses as well?

I happen to know a boss who is a workaholic and expects his department to be with him while he works. He works overtime every day of the week and sometimes on Sundays too. I admire him for his dedication and commitment towards work, but shouldn't he realize that just because he is willing to sacrifice his own personal life doesn't mean that his subordinates are the same?

With all due respect for the arguments about 'needing information/files or other stuff' and about 'staying back to complete important work,' these situations cannot and should not arise every day! This is from a person in HR - (I mean the boss) - people who are supposed to at least sympathize if not empathize.

Apart from all the above opinions, I think that it is a good idea to tell your boss when you are leaving. A cheerful 'Good morning' when you come and an equally friendly 'Good night' or 'goodbye' or 'Au revoir' can improve boss-subordinate relations like nothing else can. Of course, I'm assuming that you are working well.

SUBORDINATES TO STAY BACK AFTER OFFICE HOURS

Depending on the type of work responsibility and nature of work urgency, the same should be decided and justified in the interest of the organization's benefit. Today, we are demanding higher salary and facilities, and definitely, the responsibility and workload will be much higher compared to two decades earlier in a 9 to 5 job. However, if it is a regular routine and just to harass others, HR managers must try to resolve the issue in a justifiable manner.

Hi there!

I do not have a point regarding whether a subordinate or a boss should stay back late. But there is an article that I read recently about Infosys founder Narayanmurthy's views on staying back late at the office, would like to share the article with you guys -

Narayana Murthy's views on staying late in the office

It's half past 8 in the office. But the lights are still on... PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing... and who's at work?

Most of them??? Take a closer look...

All or most specimens are 20-something male species of the human race...

Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors...

and why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!!

Any guesses???

Let's ask one of them...

Here's what he says... "What's there to do after going home... here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee.. That's why I am working late...

Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices.

Bachelors "time-passing" during late hours in the office just because they say they've nothing else to do... Now what are the consequences... read on...

"Working" (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture.

With bosses more than eager to provide support to those "working" late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!). They aren't helping things too... To hell with bosses who don't understand the difference between "sitting" late and "working" late!!!

Very soon, the boss starts expecting all employees to put in extra working hours.

So, my dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when you get married and start having a family... the office is no longer a priority, family is... and that's when the problem starts... because you start having commitments at home too.

For your boss, the earlier "hardworking" guy suddenly seems to become an "early leaver" even if you leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work.

People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labeled as work-shirkers...

Girls who thankfully always (it's changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labeled as "not up to it". All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on "working" not realizing that they are spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time.

*So what's the moral of the story?? *

* Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!

* Never put in extra time " *unless really needed *"

* Don't stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues.

There are a hundred other things to do in the evening...

Learn music...

Learn a foreign language...

try a sport... TT, cricket.........

importantly Get a girlfriend or boyfriend, take him/her around town...

* And for heaven's sake net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no firewalls) and try cooking for a change.

Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: "Life's calling, where are you??"

Please pass on this message to all those colleagues And please do it before leaving time, don't stay back till midnight to forward this!!!

Regards,

Garima

Garima, that was wonderful! In this context, I would like to share an incident that sheds light on how different things are for married individuals and bachelors in the workplace. I had a colleague who used to laugh at the female staff members who left immediately after office hours. This was the scenario when he was single, and he used to stay back late into the night. The situation changed completely when he got married – you won't believe he was the first to leave the office in the evening. When asked about it, he said, "I've got so many other things to take care of on the personal front."

What I believe is that regardless of gender, everyone needs to maintain a work-life balance.

Hi!

The best way to overcome such bossism is to confront him and address the situation instead of resorting to derogatory terms. Only an inappropriate and unprofessional individual would continue working after office hours.

Dear Kumar,

You have received great responses. Managers are interested in your deliverables, not your greetings - this is true of many fast-paced, growing corporations.

Regards,
Ravi B. S.

But nowadays, success does not depend solely on hard work or deliverables. A lot of it also depends on your way and level of impression management. Hence, greetings matter too.

Regards,
Leks

Dear Kumar,

I acknowledge and accept Dhinakaran's view in connection to this. I guess you should not take this as an issue. In my experience, I had never moved out of my department without saying goodbye to my boss, and similarly, my subordinates and boss always said goodbye before they leave. Treat your boss as a friend, accept your boss as your friend, then only you can learn from him (the areas you have never addressed, dared to address so far). Always see the positive side, cheer up, dear.

- Aravindan

From my understanding of PBS KUMAR's post, the boss is not supposed to be in the office the whole day. Instead, they return to the office just 5 or 10 minutes before office hours end. This situation arises when employees are about to leave to join their families but are then called by the boss to work for an hour or so. It is challenging to balance work and family, and it can be upsetting for employees dealing with this kind of situation.

Dear All,

Reporting is very important in day-to-day work. Subordinates should report to their boss about the assigned work on a daily basis. If they have completed their assignments, they should report to their boss before leaving. If this is done regularly, there is no need to inform when leaving. Reporting solves many issues in the office. Whether the task is completed or not, it should be known by the boss on a daily basis. Therefore, we should view this as "reporting," not just informing.

Regards,
Kanya

Hi,

I think if there is no harm in anything, why avoid doing it? If you have completed your task and are leaving, you can inform your boss. Remember, sometimes there is an urgency when the boss might need you. When you are informing him to leave, he might ask you for 10 minutes. It would be just a matter of 10 minutes, but you might come to the notice of your boss. Why not take advantage of the opportunity?

We do this at our home as well. We inform before leaving. It is a good practice.