At 37 weeks pregnant, NYC founder was still answering emails, then her Gen Z colleague called her out
'I was 37 weeks pregnant and disturbingly uncomfortable. Checked into the hospital for high blood pressure… It happened so quickly... They were giving me meds to induce labour. And I was… Clacking away at emails!!!!' New York City-based Alli K wrote on LinkedIn.
She continued that she had a lot of work to do as there were still three weeks until her maternity leave. So, she sent out a message that read, 'Hi everyone, baby's coming sooner than expected. I will be online for a bit and keep you posted!'
That is when she got a response from a Gen Z colleague that she 'brushed off' at the time, but the remark later made her take a hard look at herself. The new-age employee told her, 'Are you doing work while you're in labour? Stop it.'
'Boundaries aren't a weakness. They're wisdom and survival,' she wrote, adding what she later learnt from the Gen Z workforce.
How did social media react?
A woman who works as a vice president in a company shared, 'I can relate. I answered emails soon after my C-section in the recovery room.' Another remarked, 'I can't tell you how many Slack messages I've sent that say something like 'Getting on a plane for my vacation ', BUT DON'T WORRY, I'LL STILL RESPOND. OOO is OOO. I wish I could have learned this lesson earlier in my career!'
A third posted, 'Wow, what a story. Great lesson though, some things are more important than work.' A fourth wrote, 'My son arrived 3 weeks earlier, emergency delivery at 3.00 AM. Showed up at the hospital with my purse and the computer. Twelve hours after the delivery, I sent 60+ emails to finish all pending items. Crazy! And didn't get any appreciation for working after a major surgery.'
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