How should an employee approach a boss who doesn’t respect their normal working hours?

If you were to ask the majority of the workforce about sticking to the times that we are supposed to clock in and clock out, they would probably say that it is pretty important. While work emergencies do occasionally necessitate bending the rules, most employees value the fact that they can leave their job behind at a certain time of the day and not have to think about it too much until tomorrow.

Sadly, not all companies or managers see things the same way. They like the idea that their employees are constantly available to them, even if that is not in their job description. The expectation to skip breaks and engage in unpaid overtime is rife in some places, no matter if it increases turnover and gives remaining workers a reason for resentment. They just want to get as much as possible out of their employees, or at least appear to be doing so.

Even when it is something they do not want to do, many employees find it hard to fight against this. More often than not, this pattern will creep up on them without them even realizing it.