'Calling me on a day off? Cha-ching!': IT employee gets called on his day off, finagles a 10 minute call to be 6 hours of PTO with 150% Overtime

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Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Nov 8, 2023 10:00 AM EST

Are you a full-time employee? Then we have a quick question for you: Have you thoroughly read your employee handbook? Many employees simply skim their employee handbook and don't read the fine print. Most of the wordage is to cover the derrière of the company, but it clearly states exactly what you are supposed to be earning. That means you are supposed to get paid for a minimum of 4 hours no matter what? You better charge that 10-minute call as if it were 4 hours. 

That is exactly what this tech guy did, according to his post on Reddit. He is also a rep for the IT union of his company, so he knew the rules very very well. So it was pure tomfoolery for the manager to call him on his day off and not expect him to get his money for it. This 10-minute call ended up being not only the minimum of 4 hours but also an extra two hours and overtime, which is a 150% payout. So you know this guy cashed out on this little inconvenience on his day off. Tbh, the manager should have known better. And as a plus, he never got called on his day off again.  

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    Cheezburger Image 9834042368
    via EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA via Pexels
  • 02
    Posted by u/Canadutchian 3 days ago Calling me on a day off? *cha-ching* M OC
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 03
    As a unionized employee I get every 3rd Friday off. On my day off, I am playing some videogames and get a text from the boss. "I know it's your day off but..." Whatever, that's easy to ignore. But then I get a second text. And after I ignore that I get a call.
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 04
    Boss: "I know it's your day off but our phones are down!" Me: "No worries, I'll handle it!" We hang up and I call our phone provider. I'm the IT and the contact there,
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 05
    and this isn't my first call ever to them so I literally have their service department saved in my phone. I call, I register the problem, and they say they'll look in to it. I provide them my boss' name and extension, and to call him when it's fixed. I then call my boss back and let him know that they'll call him ASAP.
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 06
    But now for the malicious compliance bit: our contract stipulates a minimum call in of 4 hours, meaning that you cannot pay me less than 4 hours for a day (unless it is by my own choosing).
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 07
    If you call me in for an hour and send me home, I get 4 hours of pay. But wait, there's more! We also have an overtime clause that pays OT at 150%. And lastly, we have a clause that says all OT must be approved by the boss, or else it is 1:1 TOIL
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 08
    (Time off in lieu, which you can take at a 1:1 ration. I.E.: if I decide that the weekend is a good time for server updates, I don't need to ask for approval BUT my 2 hours of work only translate to 2 hours of paid time off elsewhere.)
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 09
    Combine all this in one delightful batch and you get: a 10 minute call that results in 6 hours of banked time off.
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 10
    I went right back to my videogames, filled out my time sheet the week after, and said "I know it's your day off, but" is implied consent for overtime. Minimum callout of 4 hours at 150% is 6 hours. Almost an entire day off with pay in exchange for a 10 minute call? ThankYouVeryMuch!
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 11
    Bonus: guess who has two thumbs and has since then never been called on his day off? This unionized guy! (Hint: get unionized. Fight back.)
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 12
    Edit: Didn't think this would take off like this. Of course anyone saying this isn't malicious is right. Sadly, we live in a world where a lot of people are expected to work beyond their scope, and while my experience should be normal it really isn't for a lot of people.
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 13
    The expectation my boss had, I presume, is that I'd write the 15 minutes down (we write our time in blocks of 15) and be 'content' with that. We all deserve a) to be left alone during our time off
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 14
    and b) to be compensated and compensated WELL if we are asked to give up time off to do a work thing. You work to live after all, not the other way around.
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 15
    To those asking what IT union I'm with: I'm not in a special IT union. It's just a union with experience with office jobs. If you're interested in joining a union and don't know where to start, call any local union. A nurses or plumbers union will gladly point you to the right place, if they can't help you themselves.
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 16
    More unionized workers are good for everyone, because we as a working class need to understand that we are all in this together.
    via u/Canadutchian
  • 17
    manwoodlover. 3 days ago This is awesome. We work 4 ten hour shifts with my union. I have Fridays off. I had to go get my physical done on a Friday which took 15 minutes plus pay for travel time/distance. I got 4 hours of pay and $100 in travel time/distance.
    via u/manwoodlover
  • 18
    When I submitted my time sheet manglement tried to say it was wrong. I grabbed one of my union stewards and he explained it VERY slowly as if to a toddler why it was right. It was hilarious.
    via u/manwoodlover
  • 19
    Do misplaced apostrophe's smy Butch_F 3 days ago I am the second shift union shop steward for my employer, and experience in union matters in previous employment... I know the speaking like a toddler reference well. Too well.
    via u/Butch_F
  • 20
    Smash_Shop 3 days ago The crucial piece here is minimum call outs. It means that the boss can't call you up and make you travel all the way to work (at huge personal expense) for just 15 minutes of work.
    via u/Smash_Shop
  • 21
    They have to pay you for at least 4 hours, to make it worth your time. Having to go to work for even just 15 minutes can really disrupt your plans, so this is pretty fair. When bosses don't understand this, hilarity ensues.
    via u/Smash_Shop
  • 22
    ThriceFive 3 days ago Good on you for knowing how time is counted for your position - many people don't read or know their Union contract and just take management's say for how things work out. You billing the proper amount and documenting was what made this great.
    via u/ThriceFive
  • 23
    MrsTaterHead. 3 days ago Same for non-union staff who just need to read the employee handbook. I even indexed the thing and I still get shocked Pikachu faces when they leave employment and find they used more PTO than they had earned.
    via u/MrsTaterHead

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tech job salary paid hourly tech employee technology it sysadmin IT employee PTO working in tech Tech overtime tales from IT paid time off
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