Are You Facing The Stigma Of Leaving Work On Time? Don’t!

Are you tired of feeling guilty for leaving work on time? Well, you’re not alone. Many women face the stigma of leaving work on time, but it’s time to overcome it.

More than often, society expects a necessary sacrifice from women in their careers; to slog and prove their worth or justify the salary that they are drawing.

If a woman leaves work on time, she’s labelled as uncommitted or not dedicated to her work. Why is it that we still have these outdated and unfair expectations for women in the workplace?

Why is there a lack of empathy?

Almost 8 years ago, my son was in a growing phase, I was a first-time mother and my son had some immunity and allergy issues due to which many times I had to rush him to the doctor or become an attendant at home.

I used to face mixed reactions at the workplace when my immediate seniors would force me to be part of internal meetings, which can very well happen without my presence. During those critical times, I used to be prompt with my work updates, but I used to receive nasty emails saying that I was not available, showing my incompetency.

Though I used to drop explanatory mail, I always questioned internally why people lacked empathy, and they felt if a woman left work a bit early, or she is at home then it means she is making up a genuine story or work held less priority in her life.

Women are not superwomen!

No one is a superwoman, there are days when work would take the whole of me and there are few days when the family would need me more!

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It’s high time the workplaces induce a culture where women are respected and if they are prioritizing their kids or family on a few days, then it should not become a matter of judgement.

I have mostly seen this attitude in those so-called alpha males who are the sole earners of their family, and they pride themselves on having “trophy wives sitting at home and taking care of their family and kids,” because childrearing is an easy job, right?

It then becomes too easy to judge the women who balance both home and work.

Then you have nosy elderly in-laws!

Paradoxically, even if women choose to spend their time performing their core responsibilities at work, then there are morally policing elderly in-laws or husbands who would question why you have to spend so much time at the office.

It becomes really difficult for women to keep justifying their actions, either at the workplace or at home.

I understand why women abandon their careers after maternity or take a back seat to take care of family or an ailing close relative because of workplace norms and regulations!

Quitting family is not an option, so women quit jobs!

And Early-Come-In and Late-leaving practices combined with family pressure become difficult for them to thrive. In the end, she cannot quit her family, so she chose the latter! To quit Her Career!

Productivity and efficiency are not determined by the amount of time spent at work, but by the quality of the work produced.

By leaving on time, you are prioritizing your work-life balance, which ultimately leads to better mental health, motivation, and job satisfaction. So go ahead, pack up your things, and leave on time. You deserve it.

Image source: CanvaPro

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