My company offers "flexible schedules" which apparently means they're flexible about when I work, not about HOW MUCH I work. So I can pick up my kid at 3pm, sure, but then I'm catching up emails from 8-11pm. Or I can take Friday afternoon off but I'm expected to answer Slack on Saturday morning.
Yeah that's a them problem disguised as a perk. 'Flexibility' that means you work 8am-3pm onsite AND 9pm-11pm on email isn't flexibility, it's just work that doesn't respect your time.
Have you actually documented the hours? Like tracked what you're ACTUALLY working? Sometimes you realize you're putting in 50-55 hour weeks when it's supposedly flexible. That's the conversation to have with your boss.
This is why I stopped trusting 'flexible' as a selling point. I need to know the actual workload, the actual expectations, and whether picking up my kid means something gives elsewhere. Right now you're just getting both things piled on.
The system is set up so you feel guilty either way - guilt about picking up your kid early OR guilt about not doing 'enough' work. Only way to win is to set a hard boundary and stick to it.
So like what happens if you just... don't check emails after 8pm? Do they actually care or is it just this weight you're carrying?
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You're working 50+ hours but nobody will say that's the actual expectation because it's technically 'flexible.' Meanwhile you're telling your kid sorry buddy, daddy has emails to catch up on. That's the trap.