When 'Work-Life Balance' Becomes a Joke

Never, ever, give a reason, like "family dinner." This just gives them an opportunity to argue that the reason is not important. Just "I'm busy" or "I am not available." Don't give them anything they can argue against. They will demand to know what you are busy with. "I'm busy for personal reasons I don't want to disclose." Repeat as necessary.

I did once get asked/told that I was doing (unpaid) overtime during my notice period just as I was about to leave for the day. My response was, "Oooh, I'd love to, but I won't," and then I walked out the door. Apparently after I left, my remaining colleagues used that exact phrase a lot.

So you work 8 hours, then you have to work 3 hours to re-do your work? Something isn’t lining up.

Just ask him to change the time he checks your work.

If you're confident your boss does it on purpose, there's no ask you can make that will change the behavior. Unless... you're legally entitled to overtime pay that your company isn't paying.

Why does it take 2-3 hours to fix mistakes? Are you struggling with your tasks? Can you ask for clarification when something is assigned to you so you're not spending time correcting mistakes? Did you receive training when offered the position?

Just be assertive and say you have somewhere to be and will need to leave at 5PM. Staying 3 hours back for no reason is insanity.

What is your job that your boss has to check your work daily, and that you have 1.5-3.5 hours of rework based on the feedback? I think you might be asking the wrong question. You might want to work on improving the quality of your work so that A) Your boss doesn’t need to check it every day and B) When there are corrections to be made, they are small and quick fixes.

Not your problem, leave once the clock hits. Address the problem the following day, simple as that. Otherwise, he's got to pay you the additional hours (depending on which area you live).

Leave once they are done checking, saying that you will address it tomorrow. E.g., "Cheers, I'll fix that up tomorrow." If they ask you to stay, say, "I normally do, but I've got a family dinner tonight."