Follow Maya’s choices and the reasons behind them.

The idea

Notice how expectations affect her time at home.

Read the text

Maya worked from her kitchen table long after the rest of her team had signed off. Her manager had not asked for an immediate reply, but Maya feared that silence would look like a lack of commitment. She cancelled dinner with her brother to finish a report that was not due until Monday.

The next morning, her colleague Luis admitted that he also checked messages during family time. Together they asked their manager which messages truly needed attention outside working hours. The team agreed to call only for urgent problems and to leave other messages until the next workday. That evening, Maya closed her laptop and arranged another dinner with her brother.

Examples

  • Maya worked from her kitchen table long after the rest of her team had signed off.
  • Her manager had not asked for an immediate reply, but Maya feared that silence would look like a lack of commitment.
  • She cancelled dinner with her brother to finish a report that was not due until Monday.
  • The next morning, her colleague Luis admitted that he also checked messages during family time.
  • Together they asked their manager which messages truly needed attention outside working hours.
  • The team agreed to call only for urgent problems and to leave other messages until the next workday.
  • That evening, Maya closed her laptop and arranged another dinner with her brother.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic English voice on your device. Quality and availability vary; it does not assess pronunciation.

Watch out

The manager did not demand an immediate reply; Maya assumed silence would reflect badly on her.

Try it yourself

  1. Why did Maya feel pressure to reply quickly?

    Show answer or example answer

    she feared silence would look like a lack of commitment / she was afraid silence would seem uncommitted

    she feared silence would look like a lack of commitment / she was afraid silence would seem uncommitted: Maya worries that silence will suggest she is not committed.

  2. When was the report due?

    Show answer or example answer

    Monday / on Monday

    Monday / on Monday: The deadline is Monday, so the report did not require a cancelled dinner.

  3. How would the team communicate an urgent problem after hours?

    Show answer or example answer

    call / by phone

    call / by phone: The team reserves calls for urgent problems.

Use it today

Explain how the team makes room for life outside work.