'I eventually got fired': Worker reprimanded for working overtime, and told to work less, then fired for not completing tasks

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Aug 4, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

Having two bosses who are each mad at you for doing the thing the other boss told you to do is like being stuck between a rock and a hard place… But, in this case, the rock and the hard place are obstinate and refuse to talk to each other—having never figured out how to communicate properly. With that in mind, you probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that the rock and the hard place are, in fact, married and own a business together since plenty of married couples are experts at not communicating.

While rocks usually don't usually talk—in my humble experience—your boss should, at least enough to ensure effective communication within the organization; after all, it's their job to make sure that everyone's on the same page and striving towards the same targets. However, when you're already limited on time, the last thing you want to do is spend half the day in meetings.

This worker shared how, after dealing with the stress of constantly increasing workloads and challenges within their own personal life, they were told that they needed to reduce the hours they were working by one of the owners of the company they worked for. They soon found themselves under fire from the other boss for not keeping up with their impossible workload—eventually finding themselves fired.

See their experience below, originally shared via an account of events posted on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit community.