availability creep
/əˌveɪləˈbɪləti ˌkriːp/nounUnverifiedThe gradual expansion of the hours in which a person is expected to respond.
First the workday, then the evening 'quick question', then Sunday. Each expansion is a small favor that becomes the new floor. Availability creep is how 'always on' arrived without anyone ever asking for it.
Etym. — availability + creep, on the 'mission creep' pattern: each step reasonable, the trajectory unagreed.
Rel. — presence pressure
Novelty check: UNVERIFIED · checked 2026-10-31
Web search was unreachable or blocked, so novelty could not be established.
Evidence log
| Query | Results checked | Same-sense matches |
|---|---|---|
| "availability creep" | 0 | 0 |
| "availability creep" meaning | 0 | 0 |
| "availability creep" definition | 0 | 0 |
Method: quoted exact-match web search + dictionary lookup (dictionaryapi.dev)