'The company ended up going into liquidation': Manufacturing boss demands overworked laborer stick to his original duties despite the fact that they've been doing every job alone, their compliance sinks the company

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jun 23, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

During the course of your career, it's generally thought that going above and beyond is often associated with greater reward… at least eventually. However, it's also possible that you'll end up working for people who will just take advantage of your willingness to do extra work and provide extra value to their company without extra pay.

This workshop laborer helped in the production and manufacture of sheds for use on clients' farms and other similar business uses. They helped with cleaning, maintaining, and loading completed sheds onto trucks. Well, this is what they started off doing; as they spent more time there, they began to help out in more areas of the operation, becoming generally knowledgeable in every facet of it. As time went on, each of the three specialized machinists and manufacturers left, leaving this worker to pick up their duties—eventually running the entire operation on their own.

One day, they needed welding wire to continue working and were unable to get their boss's attention, so they went out and bought it themselves so that their production could continue. Their cheap boss refused to reimburse them, telling him to stick to the terms of his contract, which, of course, was still the original one he had when he was sweeping the yard… This led to the boss hiring a new laborer, expecting the worker to train him, but his subsequent refusal led to the eventual liquidation of the business.

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  • 01
    "Only do my own duties? You got it boss."
    via Josh Beech
  • 02
    Only do my own duties? You got it boss. M OC I used to work in a workshop were sheds were produced for farms and businesses. I was brought on as a general labourer whose tasks were to clean and maintain the yard and workshop, clean and spray steel and to load up the truck with any completed sheds.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 03
    When I first joined the company there was 3 other workers there who had their own jobs to complete, one persons job was to make flashings for the sheds, one person would run the saws and fabricate any plates and cletes needed and then there was a welder.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 04
    Slowly but surely the other workers began to quit due to finding better paying jobs in different company's and eventually I was the last worker there who had to run everything by myself which I had no issue in doing as I prefer to be able to work by myself. So one day I needed welding wire and normally it would of been the bosses job to go and pick up any materials or supplies I needed but on this day the
    via u/eqsoge
  • 05
    boss was away delivering a shed so I went out of my way to go and pick up the welding wire myself so I could get a job finished that was behind schedule but issues arised when I informed the boss that he needed to pay me back for the wire as I had to pay for it out of pocket but I was told that I shouldn't be doing anything that's not written in my contract and that I won't be getting the money back for the wire as he never agreed to pay for it.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 06
    So I went back to my original duties that I had when I first joined the company. After a few days of this he came into the yard screaming at me as there was no sheds being manufactured and I told him that he better get hiring as I won't be doing anything out of my jobs description like he stated for me to do.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 07
    After 2 weeks of this he hired a new worker who had no idea how to do anything and he tried to get me to train him but I wouldn't as that was going out of my jobs description. This went on for about 3 weeks before the company ended up going into liquidation to due to the boss failing to file accounts for the past 4 years.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 08
    grumblyoldman 9 hr. ago Dayyyyum. Boss has 3 weeks of runway in his business (even with only one employee?) and decides to play the around and find out game. Gotta love it.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 09
    FunkyPete 7 hr. ago I mean, I'm assuming he didn't pay for the wire because he didn't have the money. I think the people leaving and not being replaced was the first sign that they were closer to closing down than expanding.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 10
    randomcanyon 8 hr. ago • Hope you took whatever welding wire that was left home. It belongs to you. Not them. eqsoge OP 7 hr. ago Yeah I took it back since he didn't wanna pay for it
    via u/eqsoge
  • 11
    ReactsWithWords 7 hr. ago • My very first "real" job was doing data entry in the early 80s on a TRS-80 Model II (with 8" floppy disks!) The Boss kept yelling at us to go faster. We went as fast as we could, but the was so slow. program After another yelling session, I took a peek at the code. There was a loop in there that wasn't
    via u/eqsoge
  • 12
    attached to anything and didn't do anything other than waste time. I pointed it out and was told not to touch it - that program was the president of the company's baby and he personally coded it. OK, fine. Another week, another yelling to be faster. Fine, you want faster? You got faster. I commented out (didn't delete) the offending code. Did over 20% better that week. Boss asked if I changed the code. I said I commented it out but could easily put it back in. Was fired on the spot.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 13
    Six months later I ran into an ex- co-worker. Place was out of business.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 14
    balles_de_acier 7 hr. ago "Why aren't you welding?" "The company is out of welding wire." "There's a spool of welding wire right there!" "That belongs to me, not the company."
    via u/eqsoge
  • 15
    CdnPoster 6 hr. ago It NEVER ceases to amaze me how people with successful businesses seemingly destroy them by doing stupid things and not considering the natural consequences of their actions. WHAT did the boss think was going to happen when ONE person was doing the work of FOUR people???
    via u/eqsoge
  • 16
    OP....it sounds like YOU knew how to run the business better than the owner. Please tell me you bought the company and rebuilt it into a success story!!! • eqsoge OP 6 hr. ago Thank you but I wouldn't touch the company with a 10 foot pole because when I was in the meetings with the liquidators it was found out that the boss would take
    via u/eqsoge
  • 17
    deposits for some sheds but wouldn't do them and only way I found out about the liquidation meeting was from one of his customers that he took a €5000 deposit from. Wouldn't be surprised if he's facing fraud charges after this.
    via u/eqsoge
  • 18
    3amGreenCoffee 7 hr. ago I hope you took your welding wire with you. • eqsoge OP 6 hr. ago I did indeed. Gave it to a friend since he didn't want to pay for it.
    via u/eqsoge

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workplace discussion workplace-stories jobs job malicious compliance work workplace Horrible Bosses workplace malicious compliance employment in the workplace
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