A startup founder's viral post about messaging a colleague on their wedding day has sparked a workplace boundary debate

• A startup founder sparked backlash after he appeared to message a colleague on Slack on their wedding day.
• The exchange has raised questions about whether the work-life boundaries are blurrier than ever.
• Experts say flexible communication tools and an uncertain job market are intensifying the hustle.

A startup founder's X post purporting to show a Slack exchange with an employee on their wedding day has sparked a debate about hustle culture and "always-on" expectations for employees.

On Tuesday, AJ Orbach, cofounder of the e-commerce analytics company Triple Whale, shared a screenshot on X that shows him asking a staff member on Slack, "How is it going?"

"It's going, got married this morning/afternoon, but I am back online," they replied, the screenshot shows.

In the X post, which has since been deleted, Orbach praised the employee's dedication, calling it "special."

"One of our team just got married today… and still popped online for a bit," Orbach wrote in the Tuesday X post, which has since been deleted. "Not because anyone asked. Is on fully approved PTO. Just genuinely excited about what they're building."

"That kind of ownership is special. Also told them to log off," he added.

The post quickly went viral, garnering millions of views and hundreds of responses before its deletion. It also sparked debates across many separate social media posts. Many internet users were critical of it, while others praised the employee's work ethic.

Business Insider has not been able to verify the authenticity of the exchange Orbach shared on X.

In a LinkedIn post, Ariel Rubin, the head of content at software firm Air, called the original post "one of the bleakest things I've ever seen on this website." Rubin's post attracted nearly 300 comments.

On Thursday, Orbach posted an apology on X.

"I'll be the first to admit that my excitement got the best of me here," he wrote.

"I care a lot about this company. Probably too much sometimes. This was one of those times."

Triple Whale did not immediately respond to several requests for comment from Business Insider about Orbach's post. Orbach and the employee mentioned in his post, Dylan Gifford, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

'Always on' culture

Conversations about how digital communication tools have helped perpetuate an "always on" culture have existed for as long as the tools themselves.

Lines blurred further during the pandemic with the rise of remote work, but a post-pandemic boom eased some of the pressure to grind for many tech workers.

However, mass layoffs and a renewed drive for efficiency in the past few years have put some of that pressure back on.

Flexible work has made it harder for employees to disconnect, but an uncertain market has also intensified their work, Thomas Roulet, a professor of organizational sociology and leadership at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, told Business Insider.

"Work itself is fast-paced because of the high level of uncertainty and volatility in most industries. It does require people to often be available outside hours for urgent requests," Roulet added.

Almuth McDowall, a professor of organizational psychology at Birkbeck University of London, has researched work-life balance and remote work.

"It's a persistent issue in many organizations that Slack and WhatsApp messages are being fired off all the time, without boundaries or thought," McDowall told Business Insider.

"Flexible communication methods can be such an enabler, but if we use them unwisely, they 'enslave others' because the expectation is you have to respond."

Regarding Orbach's apology, McDowall said: "If you are an authentic business leader, fess up, say what you are doing to repair damage and outline clear steps for how you are going to do better."

Roulet said leaders need to manage expectations from the start on whether a role requires around-the-clock availability.

"Employees are also free to push back and be clear on what their boundaries are," he said.

"Often, they accept to be contacted outside hours until a time where it becomes hard for them — it's too late to flag an issue on their end as they have created some expectations," Roulet added.