'You sound like someone who loves a job that will never love you back': Employee screws herself over by working unpaid hours

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Feb 5, 2023 2:00 PM EST

This employee thought she was pulling off some malicious compliance, but in the end, she just made things worse for herself. The problem is, she shared her story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit fully convinced that she had pulled a fast one on her employer. Yikes!

 

She was quickly given a firm dose of reality by some ruthless people in the comments section. If we think about this more broadly, this is really just further evidence that we have been conditioned to do what's most efficient for our employers and companies rather than look out for ourselves and ensure that we are being treated fairly every step of the way. There are certainly more options u/reneemul could present to her boss so that the outcome is both realistic and equitable. Keep scrolling below to see what people had to say in the comments. For more, here's a story of petty revenge involving a boomer Karen.

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  • 01
    Property - 60 A O 1000 "I'm allowed to go back to working more hours and not getting paid or take Flex Time." was WE RESPONSES DOOOOOooooo DOOGONO Fogooooooo DE 11-1 OOOOO Voe and sign your name as you woul w Examinee Handbook and certify Date 00000
    via Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu
  • 02
    Font - Yeah I'll work 8 hours S OC TLDR: was working 9-10 hour days without being compensated and was told I need to work my 8 hours. On mobile excuse errors. So I moved to a new job a year ago. Odd hours. 11am - 7pm with a 1 hour paid lunch. Most days I went in early and would work 9-10 hours total. Due to having kids and getting up early, I would go in early, like 7:30- 8 and take my lunch at 4-5, check in on my teenagers during this time, and go back in until 7. I don't get overtime OR flex m
    via u/reneemul
  • 03
    Font - Cue malicious in 2 locations Monday and compliance. I work Wednesday I'm in both, Tuesday and Friday just one. Thursday depends. In December my immediate supervisor told me I could work 9-3 then 5-7. Better yet more time with kids. I continued to go in at 7:30-8:00am and would work until 3 then go and go in around 4 or 5 and work until 7. Easy 9-10 hour days, including travel time between locations. Due to my type of job I have NEVER taken a lunch break; I continue working through lunch.
    via u/reneemul
  • 04
    Font - you need to work the agreed upon hours of 9-3 and 5-7". Ok. I refused to go in early these last 2 days and took my full lunch break. With travel time today I was technically not working for about an hour while driving and I had my hour lunch from 2:00-3:00. Tonight at 8:15 she texts me asking why something wasn't done. I told her I started at 9, had my meetings, dealt with registrants, took lunch from 2-3, left at 3:30, and then left to drive to the other location. I got home at 4:15 put
    via u/reneemul
  • 05
    Font - Started testing a student at 5:15 and continued testing the student until 7:00, at the end of my hours, I left instead of waiting until the student was finished because those are my agreed upon hours. The student continued their test and the evening secretary collected the test. Due to all of this, I wasn't able to address the task she assigned. I'm allowed to go back to working more hours and not getting paid or take Flex Time.
    via u/reneemul
  • 06
    Font - No Host_2021. 11 hr. ago This is not MC. This is you being taken advantage of thinking you got one over on them. Stop working hours and losing time with your kids for nothing.
    via u/reneemul
  • 07
    Font - Due-Explanation-7560. 2 hr. ago You working the agreed upon hours is what you should of been doing from the get go. You have now created the expectation that you will work extra for no compensation. Expectation is now reality for your boss.
    via u/reneemul
  • 08
    Rectangle - TSnowCrash 12 hr. ago Never work for free. +2.
    via u/reneemul
  • 09
    Font - justthankyous +2. 12 hr. ago Agreed, and if you are traveling between work sites for an hour, that's an hour on your clock. That counts as working. It doesn't matter if you also took your hour lunch break.
    via u/reneemul
  • 10
    Font - the_scorpion_queen 12 hr. ago Why are you working for free? Why are you posting this like "heh heh I'm going to make my boss let me work more for no pay" what?? This is sad.
    via u/reneemul
  • 11
    Font - +2.11 hr. ago They may allow you to work for free. But don't. Spend it with your kids. hiddikel
    via u/reneemul
  • 12
    Font - 123cong123 11 hr. ago +3. Now that you know. Now that they know. And now that they know that you know. Work your paid hours, at least until they are well aware and willing to recognize your contributions.
    via u/reneemul
  • 13
    Font - EmphasisOutside9728. 12 hr. ago "I'm allowed to work for free." Oh joy. Where can I sign up?
    via u/reneemul
  • 14
    Font - RaistlinWar48. 11 hr. ago. edited 11 hr. ago You are the person who makes our job harder. But u/reneemul works all this extra time and doesn't asl for more pay, why can't you. They are not going to promote you. You do too much at your present position. And you are letting this company steal your time from your family. This isn't malicious. It is just doing your job. I don't know what to call what you were doing before, except being a ?sucker? You sound like someone who loves a job that wi
    via u/reneemul
  • 15
    Font - AbstractParrot - 9 hr. ago Wait, so your malicious compliance is to force them to let you work.. for free...?! What?
    via u/reneemul
  • 16
    Font - colajunkie 7 hr. ago That's the funniest thing about this: "it hurt itself in its confusion" Confusion is never malicious.
    via u/reneemul
  • 17
    Font - Interesting-Month-56 11 hr. ago The reason your supervisor told you to stop working extra hours was because if the business got caught, they would owe you a big wad of cash and the State Labor Board a huge fine. Keep not working extra hours. They need to pay you for your time OR if you are exempt, put you on salary and let you set your own time.
    via u/reneemul
  • 18
    Font - VikThouGideonVickery. 10 hr. ago Yea not MC, has gone back to working more hours, thanks for making it worse for everyone else.
    via u/reneemul
  • 19
    Font - A200ftLongSandworm 11 hr. ago Why would you work for free? I like my job and my boss but I don't do anything work related off the clock.
    via u/reneemul
  • 20
    Font - JoshIsFallen 10 hr. ago Another commenter said "that's the life of a teacher, some people like the work and don't just do it for the money" So basically because they are dumb
    via u/reneemul
  • 21
    Font - MnemosyneThalia - 9 hr. ago This is the first MC story I've read where the person doing the MC is screwing themselves over in the end. You're seriously fighting to give them free labor in an already underpaid position, I hope you realize that. Have a better sense of self worth and never give free labor to anyone, let alone to those who are already taking advantage of you.
    via u/reneemul

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Tags

antiwork toxic-workplace job malicious compliance teachers teacher Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit toxic-work-environment
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