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The clock has ticked past office hours and you're still at your desk working away when all of a sudden your computer is highjacked by an urgent message:
"WARNING!!! Your shift time is over. The office system will shut down in 10 minutes," it reads.
"PLEASE GO HOME."
This is a notification that employees at a small IT firm in India now get the moment their shift is over.
According to Reuters, the notification system is a somewhat novel attempt by Softgrid Computers to ensure their staff are getting adequate time away from work.
"The thought behind this is providing employees a good work-life balance so that they can spend time with their families and loved ones," said Softgrid's chief executive Ajay Golani.
The company's commitment to work-life balance was brought to the attention of the internet after one of its employees, human resource specialist Tanvi Khandelwal, posted an image of the notification system on LinkedIn.
"My employer supports #WorkLifeBalance. They put this special Reminder, which locks my desktop after business hours and issues a warning," she wrote.
"NO MORE CALLS AND MAILS OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS!! Isn't this fantastic?"
At the time of writing, Khandelwal's post has received over 400,000 likes and more than 11,000 reposts.
Too rigid?
While many commenters on the post praised the software, some pointed out that it might have drawbacks.
"What should happen if I am in a call with a client when the system locks? Does it automatically end that call, potentially ending the relations with that (potential) client?" wrote aspiring entrepreneur William Bailey.
"Management should plan better instead of hardcore micromanaging like this," he later followed up in another comment.
Others who agreed with Bailey's general sentiments opined that the supposed rigidity of the lock-out system might not be suitable for all kinds of workers, and could even penalise more productive employees.
Whatever the case, it seems that at least some of Softgrid Computers' employees are enjoying the warning to go home.
Kritika Dubey, a colleague who took the image attached to Khandelwal's LinkedIn post, was cited by Reuters as saying that the system had meant she was able to leave work on time and attend to other responsibilities at home.
Top image from Tanvi Khandelwal's LinkedIn profile