Freelance worker fired after asking to be paid for extra work: 'I got a termination email claiming disrespectful conduct'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Sep 17, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

Freelance workers deserve better. Despite not being salaried and not having benefits, most of these workers are forced to deal with a nebulous set of expectations that can at times be more intrusive. For instance, freelance workers may not have a set number of hours, but that does not mean that they have to be subjected to constant emails, calls, and texts from their supervisors during off hours. For some reason, the work-life boundaries for freelance workers always seem to be more nonexistent than those for full-time salaried employees.

Here, we have a contracted worker whose supervisor moved to Europe after having a tough relationship with U.S. work culture. Unfortunately, it turns that you can take the American out of American work culture but you can't take American work culture out of the American. Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from folks in the comments section. For more, check out this post about an employee who sent the wrong message to his boss.

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  • 01
    Mail 9 3 ab
    via Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk
  • 02
    American boss (who came to Europe for work-life balance) fired me because I wasn't willing to work for free on weekends
    via Arakza
  • 03
    Title basically. I live in. Europe and work on a freelance contract thats paid hourly. I have a verrry pushy American supervisor who likes to call on weekends and off- days and request unrelated, extra work.
    via Arakza
  • 04
    (Keep in mind this person was always dunking on US work culture)
    via Arakza
  • 05
    I wanted to set some limits, but stupid me not wanting to embarrass them by pointing the excessive call logs,
    via Arakza
  • 06
    thought they'd get the hint if I asked to bill the extra hours instead. Oh boy. I got a text stating that the reason I must be working during off-days. is my poor time- management skills, and
    via Arakza
  • 07
    that I shouldn't mistake my "overwhelm" for having a large workload. (??)
    via Arakza
  • 08
    When I asked for an instance when they felt that my organization skills were lacking, they ghosted me for an entire
    via Arakza
  • 09
    week. Then today I got a terminatation email claiming disrespectful conduct. Oh and they waited until the last possible second of the two-week notice to send it. I don't know the details
    via Arakza
  • 10
    of freelance labor protection laws but I'm pretty sure you can't just fire someone for asking extra work to be paid?
    via Arakza
  • 11
    TL:DR Boss ignores the labor protections they moved here for. Insulted me, ghosted me and fired me for asking to be paid for excessive overtime.
    via Arakza
  • 12
    L1A1 • 3h ago If you're freelance you generally do the work you're contracted to do, and agree that contract before you start.
    via Arakza
  • 13
    I'm doing some freelance work at the moment, I bill them for hours worked, regardless of when that is. If
    via Arakza
  • 14
    they contact me and that needs actioning immediately then that's added to the hours invoiced to them. I'm also unavailable at weekends or evenings as mentioned in my contract.
    via Arakza
  • 15
    Hoffi1 • 3h ago Freelance means that you are not am employee and therefore have no protection. If you are dependent in a client you have to be available for them 24/7.
    via Arakza
  • 16
    The trick is to put a emergency weekend consultation fee in the small print that a 15 min call cost them 300$. After the first bill the weekend calls will drop to a minimum.
    via Arakza
  • 17
    • Juggletrain 1h ago Translation might be failing me, but it looks as if you are classified as a Freiberufler? But you seem to be working as an employee.
    via Arakza
  • 18
    You may have protections as a freelancer due to your contract or German laws. But even more doing for them, you may not qualify as a freelancer. If they
    via Arakza
  • 19
    misclassified you you could be in for a big payout by going through employment lawyers or labor boards.
    via Arakza

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getting fired workplace-stories fired work stories toxic-workplace job work Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit company toxic-work-environment
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