Having a good work-life balance is key to a happy, healthy existence. Sure, you should definitely work hard, but don’t forget that just in sports, rest and relaxation are vital. It’s important that you wind down properly: whether you’re spending some honest time with your hobbies, socializing with your friends, or out volunteering to help those in need.

Your hobbies are an important part of the balance in your life. Unfortunately, some bosses believe that you should live for your job and job alone. The office is supposed to be your main priority and your only calling. Some managers even go so far as to reject your job application when they learn that—get this!—you do non-work things in your spare time. Imagine that.

That’s exactly what happened to redditor u/EmperorJJ. He told the r/antiwork community about the unfair rejection that he got for his dream job. All because he does community theatre in their spare time. Read on for the full story, dear Pandas. And when you’re done, tell us how you feel about this entire situation.

A job applicant shared how he was rejected for having hobbies in his spare time

Image credits: Tay Media (not the actual photo)

Here’s how everything went down

Image credits: 12019 (not the actual photo)

It’s actually vital to have clear boundaries that separate your work and your life. If things are all muddled up, both areas can suffer. For instance, there’s a difference between working hard and constantly working overtime.

“Working long after your colleagues are gone means nobody will see your hard work. Hence, you need to tell people about it because the results often take time to manifest. The irony is, if you have great results, there’s no need to tell anybody how hard you work,” financial expert Sam Dogen told Bored Panda earlier that the people who brag about their work hours the most tend to want validation the most.

In the expert’s opinion, if you plan to get ahead in your career, you need to work smarter and harder than others. However, that only applies if your job is your number one priority.

“In your 20s and 30s you need to work BOTH smarter AND harder, especially if you are of average intelligence. The world is a brutally competitive place with some of the smartest people also working the hardest. So working long hours while you’re still young and learning is a matter of practicality,” Sam told Bored Panda.

“You can’t expect to go straight to the corner office without putting in your dues. At the same time, you can’t expect to outperform your peers simply through hard work. You have to be strategic by building a strong network of relationships internally and externally (clients) who will pull to get you promoted and help you get paid at your next job.”

Sam pointed out that employees need to take good care of their physical and mental health if they wish to achieve success in their field.

“Take sick days and mentally recharge. Don’t just think being ill is just a physical thing. There are plenty of mental illnesses. They are just not as visible. There is no better time than right now to take sick days due to the pandemic and the greater awareness of mental health issues. There is simply no shame in healing the mind!” he gave some great advice.

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Meanwhile, fitness expert Jack Bly explained to Bored Panda that employees can increase their work output by taking good care of their health in their spare time. So having proper downtime and rest really are vital.

“Better health leads to more energy, more focus, and more productivity. To improve our health and ultimately our output, we need to make sure we’re doing things like sleeping 7-8 hours consistently, [having] good nutrition, [and maintaining] consistent exercise,” he said.

“Prioritizing things like workouts actually give us more energy rather than take energy. What truly matters is true output/results you can get. Person A: works 8 hours to get X work done; Person B: works 3 hours to get the same X work done. Which person would you rather be?” he pondered.

Here’s what people had to say about the company rejecting the redditor

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