Is It Actually Bad To Leave Work Right When Your Shift Ends? Etiquette Experts Weigh In

Earlier this year, the Internet was taken by storm by a very specific workplace etiquette debate. The question: When is the appropriate time to leave work? Is it at the end of your shift? Or is it acceptable to begin packing up before the end of your shift so that you can be out the door at your official end time? Naturally, the Internet was divided, and still is. To put the ordeal to rest, Parade reached out to etiquette experts Daniel Post Senning(with The Emily Post Institute) andHeidi Dulebohn (who teaches etiquette worldwide) to weigh in.

The question of when to leave your office or sign off at the end of a workday might seem like one better suited for your lawyer, but as these etiquette experts tell Parade, etiquette is part of everyday life—including your sign-off time.

“Good workplace etiquette demands mutual respect between everyone in the office,” Dulebohn explains. “The company should treat team members fairly and with respect.”

“The fundamentally important core values that we use to assess good etiquette at Emily Post are consideration, respect and honesty,” Senning adds. “And I put that accountability and honoring of time contracts under that honesty component and also under a consideration component.”

Good etiquette, therefore, demands “that you work for the times that you commit to work,” he shares.

And as the boundary between your career and personal life gets blurred more and more, good etiquette has become crucial to maintaining a work-life balance.

“A lot of good etiquette these days—professional etiquette—is about figuring out how to maintain or establish those boundaries,” Senning says.

So with all that said, let’s settle this once and for all: is it bad to leave work right when your shift ends? What is the appropriate time to leave work for the day?

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When Time Should You Leave Work for the Day, According to Etiquette Experts?

Both Dulebohn and Senning agree that the appropriate time to leave work for the day depends on your individual situation.

“Your company or department culture has a lot to do with when you leave work,” Dulebohn says. “Some cultures revolve around ‘normal ending hour’—about 5 p.m. Other cultures demand you work until the job is done.”

The biggest indicator, however, for whether or not it’s appropriate to leave right when your shift ends, is your type of employment—salaried vs. paid hourly.

The Argument for Leaving Right When Your Shift Ends

For hourly workers, leaving right when your shift ends isn’t just good etiquette; it’s good professionalism.

“For an hourly employee, there is integrity. You give someone the work time that they’ve billed for,” Senning says.

Dulebohn agrees: “If you’re paid by the hour, you should leave [right as your shift ends], unless it is approved and understood that you will be paid for the entire time you work, as per the Fair Labor Standards Act.”

As an hourly worker, unless you’re being paid overtime, you shouldn’t be clocking out late. That said, there are some grey areas. For example, if you have a job that requires wearing a uniform, does the time you take to change out of (or into) your work clothes count as part of your shift? There’s an easy answer: just ask!

“Whether the change time is considered part of your work time or not, that’s an answer that your shift supervisor will have for you,” Senning explains, adding, “That’s not as much an etiquette question as it is a policy.”

The Argument for Starting To Pack up To Leave When Your Shift Ends

Depending on workplace culture, salaried employees might be expected to remain working until the very end of the shift—or even later if they are expected to finish a project or a certain amount of work that day.

“Salaried workers are responsible for the work that they do,” explains Senning. “How you manage your time is a much subtler question because it’s not necessarily about accounting for that 40 hours as much as accounting for the work being done.”

Even if you don’t have to stay late to complete your work for the day, it’s a good idea to be seen packing up and getting ready to leave when your shift ends—not running out the door as the clock strikes 5 p.m. According to Dulebohn, this is the perfect time to take a few minutes at the end of your day to tidy up your workspace.

“Be respectful and do not leave your work area in a big mess,” she says, adding that it shows you’re “a good office mate.”

And if you’re confused or conflicted on when to leave work as a salaried employee, Senning again advises you to get in touch with your manager.

“Any lack of clarity around that expectation I think is well worth a direct conversation with whoever you’re accountable to,” he says.

Related: 10 Best Phrases To Shut Down Workplace Gossip, According to Therapists

2 ‘Rudest’ Things People Do at the End of Their Shifts, Etiquette Experts Reveal

1. Leaving early while your teammates are still working

“Etiquette is in every element of our lives, and should be employed in our work life, too,” Dulebohn explains, noting, “Colleagues should treat each other with respect, which includes when you leave work—for example, while working on a big project or a looming deadline, are you leaving your team or colleagues in a lurch?”

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule if you have personal commitments or appointments to uphold, but generally, it’s good etiquette to stay if your help is needed.

“Being a good team member means working late when it is appropriate and necessary,” Dulebohn shares. “Working late should be the exception, not the norm, unless you are in certain situations or industries where working long hours is routine.”

2. Leaving work without saying goodbye

It might feel easier to just sneak out of the office unnoticed, but making the effort to say goodbye to your co-workers and manager is something both Dulebohn and Senning agree on.

“Transitional moments are critically important for relationships,” Senning explains. “The opportunity that saying goodbye presents is one that people miss, and it’s so rich, and it’s just right there for you.”

According to Senning, goodbyes at the end of the workday are easy ways to ensure “a positive social interaction” between you and your co-workers, which is key if you want to move up in the workplace.

“The difference between, as you’re packing up your desk, saying, ‘Hey, I’m heading out to pick up my kids. See you tomorrow,’ and just you not being there five minutes later is a big difference,” he continues. ”Moments of connection that we have with others provides a baseline of security and safety that allows those relationships to take on stress or bear the weight of shared work.”

Remote or online workers should still make an effort to say goodbye when they sign off for the day. Not only is it good etiquette, it’s also a way of subtly setting boundaries in the modern “always on” workplace.

Related: If You Answer ‘Yes’ to Any of These 5 Questions, You’re Probably Undervalued at Work, Says a Psychologist

The Golden Rule for Figuring Out When It’s Okay for You To Leave Work for the Day

The simplest way to figure out when it’s okay for you to leave work for the day is to ask your manager. “If there’s any question about when the end of your workday is, you ask,” Senning states. But what happens if you struggle to get a straight answer or your boss isn’t clear?

The real golden rule for figuring out when it’s okay for you to head out for the day is all about where you work.

“The key to knowing when it is appropriate to leave work is to be aware of your company’s culture and expectations, and to act accordingly,” says Dulebohn. There is one caveat, however. “This assumes the culture and expectations are healthy: fair, reasonable and respectful to everyone.”

With wages stagnant and the gap between one’s personal and professional life narrowing, it can be difficult to determine where good workplace etiquette ends and exploitation begins, especially if you have a work culture that encourages staying past the end of your shift.

“It’s commendable to work late occasionally to help out, but it should not become routine,” Dulebohn warns. “If you are consistently expected to work late or fill in caps due to understaffing without any acknowledgment or gratitude, be mindful that this is most likely unfair, and the company has taken advantage of your good work ethic and team spirit.”

At that point, it’s up to you to determine what you’re willing to do for the job.

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Sources:

• Daniel Post Senning is an etiquette expert with The Emily Post Institute. He co-hosts the Awesome Etiquette podcast and is the author of Emily Post’s Manners in a Digital World: Living Well Online.
• Heidi Dulebohn is an etiquette expert and coach who teaches etiquette worldwide.