Hello reddit! I need some advice.
I just started a new job last week and we have meetings M-W that are supposed to be from 4 to 5 PM (on zoom, mix of remote workers and in-office, I am in-office). Inevitably, the meetings go late (maybe until 5:15pm) which I know is not a big deal in the scheme of things but I get to work on time and expect to leave on time (workday is 830-5). I’ve been told by other employees that this is normal. From my limited time here, I get the impression that there is a hustle culture and that a lot of employees have no issues staying late. For example, today there were 30 people in the meeting. At 5 pm, maybe 5 people signed off, and by 5:10 there were 20 people. So, some people leave but as you can see a lot don’t. My supervisor told me that he will usually leave at 5 pm, but he left at 5:07 today. Above my supervisor is the VP who runs the organization and meetings, and is who I would speak to about this if I chose to do so. My supervisor really doesn’t have much pull.
I think I’ve been so lucky in my previous jobs with leadership emphasizing self-care and good boundaries (my previous boss was an asshole but they were at least understanding about this kind of stuff). For context, I work in mental health so this is really important to prevent burn out (my yoga class is at 6). I can tell that I am really going to like the work and do not want to cause issues this early, but know that if I continue to stay to the end of meeting I might lose it. I started at the same time as another employee and she feels very similar to me.
I feel my options are:
1. Stay until the meetings are completely done.
2. Do what my supervisor does and leave when he leaves.
3. Discuss it directly with the VP who runs the meetings (suggestions on what to say would be appreciated)
I appreciate any advice or insight or if there are other options I haven’t considered. Thanks and LMK if there are any clarifications I can make.