I wrote this email to my supervisor's supervisor (chill) about an interaction I had with my supervisor (no chill) last week. I hope the energy meets y'all well.
Hi [supervisor2 ],
I’m deeply concerned about an interaction I had with [supervisor] on Friday.
[Supervisor] had texted me after-hours on Wednesday, and she called me twice and texted me once before-hours on Friday. I called her back before I entered the building, but she didn’t answer. When I arrived, I went to her office, and she began by expressing her displeasure that I was not available to respond to her calls or texts while I was off the clock. I explained that I don’t answer my work phone when I’m not at work as a matter of having a healthy work-life balance, but this answer did not seem to satisfy her expectation that I be available for work correspondence outside of my normal working hours. She said there was an “emergency” at [other worksite] and I needed to go cover in a classroom ASAP. When I arrived at [other worksite], it seemed clear there was no emergency as the supervisor there greeted me and stopped to chat with me briefly and casually before I went to cover.
This interaction seems to be a part of the larger, chronic issue of poor boundaries and unreasonable expectations that I’ve seen from [supervisor] regularly. It’s actually been made illegal in some countries and bills to that same effect are being debated here in the States (I recommend starting reading at “Should After-Work Contact Be Illegal?”), and for good reason: it’s toxic, it’s overstepping, it’s unethical, it’s disrespectful, and it’s unhealthy (for starters).
[Supervisor]’s use of the top-shelf word “emergency” in reference to what was demonstrably not an emergency whatsoever (I was the 3rd staff in a [classroom that only needs 2 staff but has been identified as benefiting from a 3rd staff when available]) was wholly inappropriate and only served to cajole me for not responding after-hours to an emergency which did not exist. If it was truly an emergency for this classroom to have coverage so immediately, there were a variety of different options [supervisor] could have taken to arrange for that without harassing anyone beyond work hours. Instead, she waited until my workday began at 9 to do just that.
Thankfully, I will not be working in this building past Tuesday, but I worry for the effect [supervisor]’s recurring issues with boundaries will have on my coworkers who will remain to be subjected to it. Just because they’re not ones to write a strongly worded email to stand up for themselves does not mean they assent to being treated this way, and it does not mean being cajoled after work hours for a false sense of urgency doesn’t affect their mental health negatively (among other regular displays of overstepping healthy professional boundaries).
I hope you see where I am coming from and agree that this behavior is unacceptable in any healthy, functioning work environment, and that you formulate a plan with [supervisor] to ensure as immediately as possible that this kind of behavior ceases entirely.
Sincerely as always,
[Moi]