My workplace has a mandatory corporate chat in Telegram, and my boss posts tasks there even on weekends and after 6 PM. He says it's a condition of employment. Can I refuse to respond to messages outside working hours and require this in my employment contract?
The question is really not whether you can refuse, but rather what conditions you're willing to work under and how to formalize it. By law, an employer has no right to demand responses outside working hours without additional pay - that counts as overtime, and it must be either compensated or result in time off. It's best to put it in writing (an email or a message in the chat itself) that you respond to tasks during work hours, and if anything urgent comes up - there should be either additional pay or an agreement about flexible scheduling.
What region do you work in? The laws are pretty different depending on where you are.
In most places, they can't make you answer outside working hours - that counts as overtime and has to be paid or compensated somehow. The law usually protects your right to rest. That said, if your contract specifically says you're working "on-call" or in a standby mode, that can be legal, but then it has to be spelled out and paid separately.
The smartest move is to check your local labor laws first or get a lawyer's advice, then approach management with facts. If your contract allows it, you can get your agreement or disagreement in writing - that's insurance. But if the contract doesn't include those obligations, then legally you just turn off your messenger on weekends and that's it.
Don't sign any additional agreements that require you to be in the chat outside working hours - that's a trap, and it'll be hard to challenge later. If your boss insists this is a work requirement, ask them to put it in writing and immediately contact your labor inspection office or a lawyer, because most regional labor laws don't allow this. In the meantime, just turn off notifications after 6 PM and don't rush to reply to messages at night - nobody can forbid you from getting rest.
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