Context, I have a salaried job and my group has been severely understaffed, and due to recent demands my team is working extremely long hours. These are often unplanned, and happening frequently. 10-14 hours of active work time daily with no notice has been the norm the past few months. It’s severely impacted my personal obligations general life balance. No one asks nor apologizes when the days are longer than planned, and they often turn into late nights with no time for meal breaks.
I used to always be the person to ask permission to leave even an hour “early”, but I feel like that dynamic is incredibly unfair. Would I be in the wrong to reclaim some of my time and leave a few hours early on a day where there’s no meetings, and not ask my manager for permission? Would still have clocked more than 50-60+ hours, easily.