I grew up and was brought up with the mantra: "Don't leave what you can do today for tomorrow", so I can understand your desire to finish work that affects others.
However, as times change, new generations come to work where I work, with different upbringing and thinking, I change too.
I avoid "bringing home" work, mostly I finish everything from business obligations that I need to do during working hours.
The exception can only be some projects, when I am proactive and encourage my colleagues by personal example and then I agree to work over the weekend (fortunately for me and my employer, those are rare moments otherwise we would have gotten into a problem 😀).
I remember a situation from a few years ago. My new director asks me when I can prepare a report for him. I look at the clock, Friday 14:00 and working hours until 16:00. I ask him: "Do you mind if I send it to you in 4 hours?" He tells me: "Great, so you're sending me tonight." "No", I tell him, "I'll send it to you in 4 hours. You have a report on Monday at 10 a.m., in 4 working hours. Tonight I'm with a company at a celebration, I have the whole weekend planned, I don't have time to turn on the business laptop and only on Monday, I'm here again, for the needs of work and the company".
What could he do, he accepted my comment and received the report on Monday at 9 a.m.
Anyway, he only needed it on Tuesday 😀 That's when he realized what my attitude was about working on weekends on some less important activities...
We later had a lot of days together on weekend projects, but one thing is work from the domain of expertise that can't wait, and something completely different is administration, which doesn't matter, which is not important...
if he called me today, what would I say to him? I've been shopping all day, preparing some dinner and drinks for the company that's coming tonight... and I'm writing a story...
I don't have time for unplanned business activities 😁
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There's often demands from employers in respect of after hours work that generally goes unpaid as happened to you. I don't generally respond well from it and do not expect people who work for me to do it. However, sometimes I want to do the work, like this weekend, as I may be feeling in a good head-space to be productive and that saves time later. I'm lucky that my role is flexible, I basically set my own schedule, unless it's an operational thing, and have the ability to be flexible.
So, this with I'm doing, whilst I'd rather not be doing it, is something I'm choosing to do. Had it been forced on me I'd probably feel less inclined to do it. The other thing is, I get paid commensurate to the work I do no matter where I do it, meaning whether I'm at an office, cafe, home...doesn't matter, I get paid if I'm working.
When you have flexible working hours, i.e., you work when you want and how much you want, and in total you have the agreed scope of work fulfilled, it gives you a lot of freedom...
And when you have working hours from 8 am to 4 pm every working day, in an office without the possibility of working from a remote location, then the situation in which you are asked to do something over the weekend seems like blackmail 🙂
When you are the owner of your business (in other words, the boss...), then you decide for yourself, when and how much and it all depends on your wishes and needs.
In my experience, (as the company Director/owner) I was always working, I guess that comes with the territory but, thankfully, not anymore.
My own brother moved to Glasgow and worked as a chef in a restaurant for years.
He worked for pay.
When he decided to open his restaurant, he told me: "Ginally I should rest a bit".
"My little brother, I'm sorry, but as a private business owner, you won't rest. Unfortunately, you'll be working even more, and you'll also be doing things you didn't even know existed - bookkeeping, purchasing goods for food preparation, looking for and hiring staff, sick days , injuries, loans, salaries...".
It turns out I was right. The only thing is that when he works full time, he earns a lot more than when he worked for a salary. And that's why he decided to work as hard as he could. because when he works, he has a good profit.
You're right, it's a pay-off between more (endless) work and worry but there (usually) comes an increased income along with it, maybe not immediately but if the right work is done often enough things will work out.
Chef's work so hard whether they work for someone or own the business, not a job I'd like to have - One must be quite passionate I think.