As an employee, you have the right to keep your private life private. Your employer does not own every second of your day, and so long as you don’t do anything that gets negative media attention, there is nothing that should be done. Far too many people, however, forget that they are entitled to a life outside of work. With our retirement age being pushed back again, only this time in reflection of our extended lifespans, it only makes sense to take your career slowly. Enjoy your life throughout your days and follow this guide to keep your private life safe at work:

Safeguard Your Rights

There are a few things that you need to safeguard from the start.

Always Go Home at the Same Time

Unless you are being paid overtime, you can and should go home on the dot of the hour every day. This way, you can keep your work life and home life separate and reduce your stress significantly.

Enforce Overtime Pay

If you do work outside your regular hours, enforce your overtime rights. If you don’t your employer could be happy with you forgetting, and you will never get that money owed.

Don’t Let Your Diet or Health Get You In Trouble

There are certain foods that can actually ruin your life without you realizing it. One such food is the poppy seed. These seeds are regularly found on bagels and can be very delicious and part of a healthy diet. They also tend to test positive for opiates in the urine for a few hours. The result? Mothers have been separated from their newborns because the healthcare staff believed she was a drug user. Due to the stigma, she was treated like a criminal, when, a few hours later, her sample tested clean, and they were forced to acknowledge that it was a simply poor choice of breakfast.

You shouldn’t be forbidden from eating your favorite bagel just because your workplace does drug tests. You can keep your privacy, enjoy that healthy bagel and cream cheese that you love so much, and simply invest in the Urinator to keep your health and diet private.

Don’t Answer Emails At Home from the Start

There is a debate as to whether answering emails from home should constitute overtime. Though you won’t likely be paid overtime pay for answering an email, there is also nothing stopping you from not looking at emails until you get into the office.

Change Your Name on Social Media

Either change your name on social media or better yet keep all of your accounts private. If you do have a public account, assume everyone is watching, so don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your boss to know.

Know When to Visit HR

Last but not least, know to recognize inappropriate behavior so that you can immediately take the issue to HR. This includes if co-workers start to harass you after work or start to force their way into your private life without your permission.

Knowing how to separate home and work is essential to ensuring that you can keep your private life private. Start by taking these necessary steps to safeguard your rights, so you don’t get caught out unexpectedly when the two worlds collide.