Hospital worker forced to carve out extra time for higher-ups, charges a ton of OT: 'I couldn't be blamed'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Mar 20, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to never work for a business off the clock. If your company requests that you carve out any extra time outside of your regularly scheduled hours, you are well within your right to request that you be paid for that time or, at the very least, that a negotiation process can take place. Let's be clear: the higher-ups at your company are fully aware of what they are asking of their employees. If the topic of payment for that extra did not cross their minds, then they have no business being legitimate employers.

This thread was posted to Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit by u/SheZowRaisedByWolves, a hospital worker who was asked to carve out extra time to shadow other doctors as they treated their patients. The assumption was that these workers would schedule their shadowing on their few days off, but of course, the concept of overtime did not come up. However, this employee took that to mean that it wasn't necessarily off the table.

Keep scrolling below to see what happened when their manager found out how much OT they put in. For more stories like this, check out this post about an employee who was unfairly fired and then contacted by his former boss six months later.

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    Cheezburger Image 9897384448
    via Sasun Bughdaryan
  • 02
    Required to "make time" for something the higher- ups wanted, so I used it for OT S OC
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 03
    My department heads recently suggested that employees shadow doctors in the department in order to learn more about workflow and reasoning in treatment/care/diagnosis.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 04
    However, they put it entirely on the staff to set up when they would come in and shadow. Any attempts to get the higher ups to work with us on setting up a schedule fell on deaf ears and the resolution we got was to come in on an off day to volunteer (uhhhh no). Well, I had double nightshift OT coming up with a lot of off days afterwards, so I decided to shadow on my last shift. I ended up shadowing for most of a full-day shift before getting checked off to go home.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 05
    Later in the week, I get a call from the department manager in shambles that I did that much OT. When I told them it was never made clear if we were to clock out or not for shadowing, and that emails never got answered, I said I couldn't be blamed. The conversation ended quickly and later, a schedule was set up so that employees could shadow on their shift.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 06
    TL;DR: Required to do continuing education even on an off day, decided to be a cowboy for an obese paycheck.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 07
    Equivalent-Salary357. 8 hr. ago I'm laughing my head off. You mention an "obese paycheck". Right under that is a TurboTax advertisement.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 08
    . wdjm 4 hr. ago If it's 'required'...then it is required to be paid. They cannot require you to 'volunteer.' That's literally illegal (at least in the States). But good job enforcing that in the most satisfying way possible.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 09
    Thin-Ground-5185 - 9 hr. ago i don't understand, it sounds like you did your shadowing during scheduled OT nightshift? so how was the overtime a surprise?
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
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    Sum_Dum_User 9 hr. ago They were on night shift and ended up shadowing through almost a full day shift as well to get all of their checklist items done in one shot, adding nearly 12 extra unscheduled OT hours.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
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    HMS_Slartibartfast. 9 hr. ago So how many dayshift hours did you rack up? Please tell me they do 12 hour shifts!
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
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    SheZowRaised ByWolves OP 9 hr. ago 12 hour shifts, so 20 from second OT
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 13
    HyperSpaceSurfer . 8 hr. ago Sure wonder why they weren't forthcoming about what they expected of you
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
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    ShadowDragon8685. 3 hr. ago Also they cannot require to do something off-the- clock. That's crime.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 15
    zangetsuthefirst 4 hr. ago Write down the hours before you forget and make sure they're all accounted for on your pay stub
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 16
    Chrontius 7 hr. ago decided to be a cowboy for an obese paycheck Yeee-hawww!
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 17
    kingchongo 3 hr. ago Don't ever work for a business not on the clock.
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves
  • 18
    noetilfeldig 6 hr. ago I would have done the same thing
    via u/SheZowRaisedByWolves

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Tags

toxic-workplace manager malicious compliance hospital malicious-compliance-reddit doctor toxic-boss paycheck overtime reddit thread Reddit workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
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