Samuel nodded once. “I appreciate that you trust me,” he said. “And I want to continue doing strong work here. But I do have responsibilities outside of work that I keep as fixed priorities.”

His supervisor watched him carefully.

“I’m willing to help where I reasonably can,” Samuel continued, “but I can’t build my life around open-ended availability.”

The room stayed quiet for a moment.

Then the supervisor leaned back. “I was hoping for more flexibility.”