Boss issues perfect response to Gen Z worker wanting to finish work early

Work-life balance is hard to achieve, especially with some companies still living by a rigid hustle culture philosophy. But now, one woman has put her own spin on things and people are hailing it as the way forward.

Workers are living in an age where burnout is being acknowledged and medically recognised. It's become so prominent that it simply can no longer be ignored.

Dr Jeff Foster, Medical Director & Male Health Lead at H3 Health, defined the condition as "the physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress." He added that more people are being signed off work with burnout, work stress or anxiety than ever before because it can become "really unhealthy to the point of unsafe".

Symptoms are generally defined as "tiredness, fatigue, irritability, stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness, poor motivation, decreased sex drive, feelings of helplessness and despair".

So when one Gen Z worker asked her millennial boss if she could log off early after finishing all of her work tasks, she was stunned by the response.

"Hi Jessy. I am up to date with my work … anyway, can I log off? Mwah," she asked, to which Jessy Marshall, owner of PR company Hive HQ, responded: "Yes, log off".

Speaking to AU News, Jessy said her trusted staff set "firm boundaries," adding: "They are much better at saying they feel pushed or exhausted or they don’t feel like themselves and need to take time out."

She praised her staff for working smarter, not harder – and in doing so, she rewards them with a well-deserved early finish.

"On Fridays, I say to the girls, once your work is done, log off. Where we can we log off early, particularly on Fridays, so they can give themselves an extra-long weekend," she added.

"They are really proud of what they are doing and I’m giving them time to rejuvenate. If an urgent email came through, they’d still reply because they’d know it was important, but can it wait? Then it can wait until Monday."

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