I love my work, and I tend to work much longer hours than any of my coworkers. I typically avoid any direct mention of my hours or any such measure for fear of the reaction it typically inspires. I work on a small project with only a couple people. I don't expect others to work the same hours that I do, I just want them to work whatever hours make them happy. However, I'm concerned that my own work habits might have a negative impact on the atmosphere in the group; I.e. making others feel pressured to work longer hours than they want to, or making them "feel bad" that they don't work the same hours that I do. How can I maintain the work habits that I like and not risk negatively impact the group atmosphere?
There are some things that I already try:
- Sometimes when people first join the team, scheduling & hours come up, at which point I will typically make the point that different people work different hours & schedules, and that they should find something that works comfortably for them. This is how I usually try to discuss these issues, keeping it a-personal.
- When possible (it's usually not), I work on things outside our normal workplace.
- I tend to shift my schedule so that I come in at a little late from a "normal" schedule and then just stay far past everyone else.
Maybe I'm overthinking this, but as an important figure in a small group I feel responsible at some level for encouraging a good workplace atmosphere regarding these things.
I'm quite happy with my work/life balance. This question isn't about that, and I'm not interested in comments about the matter.