Unreasonable Boss Gets Angry at Employee For Monetizing His Hobby

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Sep 26, 2023 6:00 PM EDT

In the non-corporate world, it seems like everybody is monetizing their hobby. You look at friends' social media, and you see so many people trying to make it as a writer, a performer, or an influencer, all while off the clock from their regular jobs. This phenomenon makes a lot of sense. Very few people are doing exactly what they want to do in their 9-5, and having a side hustle can make them feel more fulfilled while hopefully bringing in a little extra cash, at least eventually. 

If you ask your average corporate boss whether they want their employees to have a side hustle, you'll hear a resounding "no." Whether they're willing to admit it or not, bosses want all of their employees' energy to go towards a singular cause, and they often see any kind of additional income as a threat to their employee's dependence on them. One worker with a hobby recently got a talking to for daring to have more than one ambition, and he shared his story to Reddit. 

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  • 01
    Font - r/antiwork u/kader91 1d ● My boss recently learned I monetize my hobby and he's upset my head might be somewhere else.
    via u/kader91
  • 02
    Font - I've kept my hobby something that I've only told to a handful of coworkers in the company. Even my boss knew about it. I make custom Warhammer miniatures and I have a YouTube channel. Here's the thing, at some point I began doing little skits at the beginning of my tutorials and the news have went nuclear in my company. People laugh behind my back over something they don't understand. Because they're not the target audience.
    via u/kader91
  • 03
    Font - But for the most part, I've been able to silence them when they've learnt how much I earn from each commission. While I don't make any money from videos as of yet they attract new customer interactions. And turns out I'm ever becoming more successful with a waiting list of 7 people.
    via u/kader91
  • 04
    Font - But it also has attracted new undesired attention. Recently I've had arguments over my sales performance this year, which was to be expected lower when last year I made a 28% increase in sales from the year prior. But still they've forced me to tell I would increase another 7% this year. Which we all knew it was unlikely, specially if I would take a parental leave. They were setting me up for failure because apparently we can't tell higher ups sales are going to shrink even when we know t
    via u/kader91
  • 05
    Font - So 2 days after being scolded, my boss tell me he wants to have lunch with me. And one of the things he brought is how me monetizing my hobby could make higher ups think that I want my future outside the company. And I know exactly whose mouth that bi came from without even telling me. No. Of course I do! But what I do when I'm not on the clock is none of your business. Like I want to deal with people's nonsense for my entire life just to collect the breadcrumps. Last year I brought 400.0
    via u/kader91
  • 06
    Font - You practically give your entire life to them and it will never be enough. If they have shut their mouths they would have found my best compliant and hardworking side, now they'll only get bare minimum me. Fu corporate. It is the cancer of the industry. 545 ↑ Share 8538
    via u/kader91
  • 07
    Rectangle - NatashOverWorld • 1d Is he trying to buy your non- working hours? Tell him you charge a lot more for those hours and watch him backpedal. ... Reply 5.2k
    via u/NatashOverWorld
  • 08
    Font - phyneas. 1d Trouble is, employers like this don't have any concept of "non-working hours" for their employees; in their mind, they already own all of their employees' time and resources, period. 1.4k
    via u/phyneas
  • 09
    Font - GrumpySoth09. 1d If Working from Home could taught the average person anything it's that your employer believes they already own your mind and soul but if you see they believe they own your body too. Not a team player. ☆ 267 凸
    via u/GrumpySoth09
  • 10
    Font - NatashOverWorld • 1d ● That's why it's such a good rhetorical device I find. It establishes, they don't own anything they don't pay for. And since they're so fo stingy, it also establishes they can't afford to buy those hours. We live in a really bizarre time, where middle managers will assume they own you till you remind them otherwise.
    via u/NatashOverWorld
  • 11
    Rectangle - LiquidSoCrates. 1d It's not even 7am and I've already seen the the greatest piece of advice currently available on the planet. 4577 ↓
    via u/LiquidSoCrates
  • 12
    Font - freakers. 1d There's a sentiment I've heard express from CGPGrey. A teacher turned youtuber turned hexagon enthusiast. I'm pretty sure in one of his podcasts he talked about waking up and working on his side projects in the morning before going to school to teach. He found he was most productive in the morning and why would he give that productivity to somebody else? He would use it himself and work on his side projects, which at the time were youtube videos. Videos that were far from bei
    via u/freakers
  • 13
    Font - catninjaambush • 1d Check out competitor roles, play the corporate game. You aren't happy here and you may be able to get a pay rise by jumping ship. Also, great news you are doing well! Reply 1.4k
    via u/catninjaambush
  • 14
    Font - 650REDHAIR • 1d ● Jump ship and don't tell people about your minis passion. ... 438
    via u/650REDHAIR
  • 15
    Font - TheCeruleanFire • 1d I work in digital marketing. You're on the track to monetizing your channel; it sounds like you're growing a following. Just pull the levers at work and focus on your channel. If you keep it up, ad revenue on your channel will blow your current salary out of the water. Eyes on the ball. G 4 120 ...
    via u/TheCeruleanFire
  • 16
    Font - BisquickNinja • 1d Oh man, I feel your pain. I'm a part-time jeweler and I usually make statement pieces. I let slip how much I usually make in a year from that and now people think you're off doing this instead of doing your real job. As a senior person in corporate aerospace, they already demand between 45 and 50 hours and would happily ask for 70 to 80 hours if they could. What are your next steps, I hope you are looking for a new position because it looks like they are, in fact, setti
    via u/BisquickNinja
  • 17
    Font - trapperstom 1d I had a side hustle that made as much money as my primary job, my boss told me to stop, thought about it for a second and said sure no problem, as long as all the other guys stop playing baseball, football, and golf on their spare time. He said mine was a job theirs were sports or hobbies, I simply said my "hobby" makes money, too bad so sad. He then accused me of drumming up business during my regular job. Went around to all my job sites and questioned them whether or not
    via u/trapperstom
  • 18
    Font - idahononono . 1d This reminds me of the new American concept of being "over-employed". It's so asinine that companies are trying to keep you from having more than one employer like they own you, while not paying you enough to exist one one job! I understand not working two jobs simultaneously, or working for a competitor, are really not fair to the person paying you for your best work during your shift. But to try and tell people you cannot have a second job in a different industry is eve
    via u/idahononono
  • 19
    Rectangle - vangiang851d Where im from it is written in your contract, that any side hustle has to be reported and approved by employer. ... 100
    via u/vangiang85
  • 20
    Font - Poochus Maximus • 1d ANY side hustle?! That seems wildly overstepping. Now a side hustle sorta relates to your "real" job...I can see there being a conflict of sorts maybe. 124
    via u/PoochusMaximus
  • 21
    Font - anonymous2278 • 1d My ex-boss got uppity about this too. I created a small business when I worked for him, making custom tshirts and vinyl decals. I was mildly successful at it too, I had a fairly steady workflow and was making decent money for a side hustle. At one point I bought a workshop to attempt to separate it from my home and when he found out, he went over the edge. Screamed until his face turned purple, accusing me of trying to make money on his dime and how it was a distraction
    via u/anonymous2278

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boss antiwork jobs job side hustle terrible-bosses bad jobs bosses work toxic-boss second job workplace Horrible Bosses bad bosses coworker money
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