Am I wrong not to answer my boss’s group text at night?
Editors' DilemmaOctober 28, 2026· Be the first to vote
A story made up by our editors to get the debate going, not a real account.
My side
My boss started a group text for the team. At first, it was handy: someone running late, a room change. Then the messages started coming at 9 p.m., at 10:30, sometimes on Sundays. “Can someone look at the file before tomorrow?” I muted the group after 7 p.m., and I reply the next morning by 8:30. Every time, no exceptions. I’ve never missed a deadline. Still, at my annual review, he told me I was “less engaged than the others,” because my coworkers reply with a thumbs-up, even late at night. Me, in the evening, I cook, I read, I live.
Their side
My boss says he isn’t demanding anything: he sends things when they pop into his head, and everyone answers whenever they want. But he notices I’m the only one who never reacts, not even with a thumbs-up, and he finds that cold. He also brings up the time a client moved a meeting to 8 a.m. the next day, and he had to prep everything alone because nobody answered.
So, who's wrong?
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