To think it’s inappropriate to call outside of working hours?

[fotevers]

I finish at 5pm. I was packing my bag for work and looked at work phone flashing with a missed call from someone in the business. And an email saying they are still available to speak until 6pm.

It’s not even anything critical they are calling about and could be dealt with tomorrow.

I think the question you need to ask yourself is not "why did someone call my work phone after 5pm" but "why don't I understand how phones work?" That might make you less stressed and angry at people who are doing normal things and just trying to get through their day.

I wonder if there is something else going on here? OP are you feeling overwhelmed with work and/or other responsibilities? Are there other boundaries, which are important to you that are being ignored? Are you unwell or feeling vulnerable for some reason? In other words, is this part of something bigger for you?

Happens to me all the time, but with my role / grade it’s pretty normal to pick things up outside of office hours. I don’t see the problem, if you don’t want to call them back until the next working day, then don’t.

Not sure why you’re getting a hard time here OP.
It’s a (bad) sign of how conditioned we’ve become that work life is more important than private life.

You were offline yet someone thought they’d call you anyway. Clearly their work is more important than your private time.

For people saying it’s just a call , ignore it, I’d say how about the caller doesn’t call in the first place but decides it can wait until morning.

And here’s a radical notion, how about that email they type out about the matter, they email themselves by way of a reminder in the morning?

I can't see it's that much of a big deal honestly. It's work phone. They might not have noticed your off line. You are free not to answer.

If OP were expected to answer her phone after she’d finished for the day, you’d have a point. But someone calling outside of another person’s work hours isn’t a sign that work life is more important than private. It’s a sign that workplaces have adapted to employees’ demands for more flexible working hours.

Jeez, if that's the only stress you have at work then you're very lucky!!!!

I used to have my own online business (about 20 years ago). People used to ring up to leave a message to say can you call me, assuming I'd do so in the morning, sometimes they'd ring at, say, 2.45am. If I was up with small children, I'd answer, on the basis one less thing to do in the day. The number of people that then said 'oh I was expecting the answer machine' 😂