An employee’s account of being accused of “early log off” despite working nearly 12 hours a day has sparked a discussion on workplace expectations and work-life balance.The employee alleged that the constant meetings leave little room for proper breaks. (Representational image/Unsplash)In a Reddit post titled, “9 30 am to 9pm is tagged as early log off as per the client”, the employee claimed that their US-based client complained to the senior management after team members logged off at 9 pm.“Our US based client is reported to our senior management team that we are asking for an early log off at 9pm,” the employee wrote.The user shared that their workday starts with daily calls at 9.30 am, followed by regular unscheduled meetings organised by the team lead. The employee alleged that the constant meetings leave little room for proper breaks.“We have our daily calls at 9.30 am and regular unscheduled calls at times organised by our lead. We work continuously from 9.30am with no proper breaks So we cannot take a proper lunch break. We log off at 9 pm which the client is not happy about,” the employee wrote, adding, “Is this the new normal?”The employee also claimed that a colleague serving notice period was expected to work beyond 7 pm and was “reported” for leaving on time. “It doesn't stop here. One of my colleague who was in notice period was asked to work past 7pm. He was reported,” they user wrote.(Also Read: Dubai man recalls earning ₹60,000 in Mumbai in 2004, says copywriter pay barely changed in 22 years)Social media reactionsThe post quickly attracted reactions from users discussing long hours and unrealistic expectations.“Start late in morning,” suggested one user. However, the OP replied that there was little flexibility as daily calls began at 9.30 am. “No option for that too as our daily calls start at 9.30 am. We get micromanged every 2 hours asking for an update. If there is no progress we get questioned on why is it taking too long,” the employee wrote.Another user blamed demanding clients, writing, “Some capitalist US clients are like this. They want to get the best out of their investments. And they know we have no option. EU clients are the best when it comes to WLB.”“Work 9 hrs and then log off.. if they are asking to work longer ask for overtime at double the billing rate and also night shift allowance extra,” wrote a third user.“It has happened to me as well while I was working for one of the mnc. Folks were asking me to join daily standup calls at 10 and my shift started at 2. So basically I used to work from 10 to 11 on an average. I quit the company few months after that,” shared one user.“your senior management accepting this framing instead of pushing back is the actual problem. the client sets the work, not the hours, and if nobody draws that line internally you're stuck in this loop forever. your colleague on notice period being reported for leaving at 7pm should've been the moment someone escalated, not complied,” wrote another.(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)