Many professionals dread receiving the message "Are you free?" when they are off work or on a rest day. They struggle to respond to their superiors' requests. One of my friends encountered this situation on her day off while shopping with friends. Afraid of being assigned work, she chose not to reply. To her surprise, she was scolded by her boss on Monday. 

People dislike being disturbed during their rest time. Why should we work after office hours without compensation? This unequal power dynamic puts employees in a disadvantageous position when they resist. Therefore, it is essential to reply when seeing a message from the boss. Not replying might be seen as disrespectful, and one may face consequences. 

Additionally, urgent work matters could arise, which, if delayed, might lead to significant losses for the company.

In such cases, the blame would fall on the employee. 

However, directly replying "I am free" or "I am not free" is not suitable. The boss might assume the employee is available for any task without any hesitation. And directly confronting the boss by saying "I am not free" is also disadvantageous. Instead, emotionally intelligent employees know to ask, "Do you have something important right now, boss?" After hearing the boss's response, if it is not urgent, they can reply, "Boss, can this wait until work hours? I'm a little busy outside at the moment.

" Normally, bosses are understanding and would not be too hard on employees faced with temporary difficulties. 

If it is an urgent matter that needs immediate attention, employees can respond, "I am out, but I will rush back home as soon as possible to handle it. Please understand." This response provides a buffer for the employee, indicating that they were caught off guard and might not be able to complete the task satisfactorily.

In any case, the boss is less likely to blame them excessively.