Miss Manners: Why you don’t owe an explanation for your work hours
Jan 14, 2025
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live in a five-story condominium building that has a lot of retired people in it. I have been at the same job for 20-plus years, so I have a lot of vacation days. I don’t often take a week or two off at a time -- more often just a day off here and there. My neighbors can’t get their heads around this. I have been repeatedly asked, “Oh, do you work every day? Do you have Fridays off? Why aren’t you at work?” It really burns me, as they’re implying I’m doing something wrong and that my schedule is their business. Most of the old-timers have left since I moved here, but there are still a few older busybodies around. They seem to suffer from “groupthink” and a tendency to interfere with others.