Response to comment

I do feel guilty about work, but it's not based around hours worked; it's whether my teammates, or others, will have more to do because I'm not doing it.

I had planned on leaving early yesterday, especially because of how burnt out I was from having worked late earlier in the week, but also because the workload was winding down and because I had things to do to get ready for the weekend. I had also, earlier, volunteered to help another team fact-check their report. But I'd volunteered for this weeks ago, and they hadn't had it ready. And it looked like they'd have it ready just in time for me to leave early. Thankfully, they didn't.

But if they had, I would have felt that I'd have had to change my plans to help them. The assigned lead fact-checker, whom I consulted when it looked like this would be the case (I said I'd work the full day but not longer) said not to bother changing my plans, that there would be time next week, and she had a point, but I would have felt bad.

Is that what work ethic is? That guilty feeling?