- Pregnant founder at 37 weeks worked on emails despite being induced for high blood pressure
- Gen Z colleague told her to stop working while in labour, highlighting work-life boundaries
- Founder later realised setting boundaries is essential for survival, not a weakness
A New York startup-based founder, who was 37 weeks (over eight months) pregnant, checked into the hospital for high blood pressure and was quickly put on medication to induce labour. But instead of resting, she was clacking away at emails.
Alli K was responding to emails until her Gen Z colleague stepped in, she wrote in a LinkedIn post. Initially, she found the comment easy to brush off, but now she sees it as a reminder that boundaries are a form of wisdom and survival and not weakness.
Alli said she had a lot to do, and she was still three weeks away from her due date. Her annual self-review wasn't completed, the maternity leave document was not polished, and she didn't clear her overflowing inbox, she wrote.
In a message to her colleagues, she said: "Hi everyone, baby's coming sooner than expected. Will be online for a bit and keep you posted!"
A Gen Z colleague responded, saying, "Are you doing work while you're in labor? Stop it."
First, she ignored the colleague's advice because she wanted to seem committed to work. Later, she realised she was wrong. Her colleague already understood something she had to learn the hard way.
"Something that perhaps I had been conditioned to suppress: Boundaries aren't a weakness. They're wisdom and survival," Alli wrote.
Alli concluded the post by advising people that you don't have to apologise for logging off, you don't have to earn your right to rest, and that "being committed" doesn't mean being consumed or performing what commitment is supposed to look like.
The post quickly went viral, with many sharing their own stories.
One wrote, "This made me laugh-cry out loud while shaking my head. So freaking relatable to so many of us but damn.... we gotta stop this madness."
Another commented, "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!"
"I can relate. I answered emails soon after my c-section in the recovery room," wrote the next.
"Sound like me answering a client's emails one day post delivering my twins," commented another.
Earlier this year, a pregnant woman in the UK, fired for requesting work from home, was awarded 93,000 pounds (around Rs 1 crore) in compensation. A UK employment tribunal deemed her boss had unfairly dismissed her.
