Employees drop like flies after new manager enforces 14-hour Zoom calls to monitor progress: 'The company closed and we all now work for our competitor'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Sep 26, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Imagine working from home but having your boss look at you the entire time. It kind of beats the purpose of remote work, doesn't it? Those days offer employees some freedom to fulfill their responsibilities at their own pace and under their own preferred conditions. Having your manager on Zoom monitoring your progress during your entire work day is no different than having them breathe down your neck in the office.

This employee worked for a startup and helped build it from the ground up. Things were going swimmingly until the new manager started scheduling unnecessary meetings and progress began to slow. Instead of recognizing that these meetings were part of the problem, the new manager decided to combat this issue by enforcing 14-hour Zoom calls. Yes, 14 hours. What kind of policy is that and how on earth is that allowed?

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the subsequent consequences as this Redditor and his fellow coworkers prepared to jump ship. For more content like this, check out this post about a warehouse employee's petty revenge.

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    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    The 14 hour zoom call S I worked for a small startup that was staffed by independent contractors now W2s.
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    After 4 straight years of doubling business our shareholders determined that we needed a proper manager. Manager started Monday
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    strategizing. Wednesday checkins, and Friday wrap up meetings all ranging between 1-2 hours. Things started to feel more corporate but hey company chipotle was nice. This visionary
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    noticed that during the meetings everybody was doing other tasks and mandated that during meetings all focus needs to be dedicated on the meeting. Aye aye captain.
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    Progress slowed further. Somehow we got lazier being watched so he enacted the 14 hour zoom to keep us on task.this kept up for months as we coasted into oblivion. The
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    company closed, and we all now work for our competitor. I am playing Elden ring until I start next month.
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    orange... • 4h ago • Y'all were working 14 hour days? And it was the Zoom calls that set you over the edge? I'm sure I'm misunderstanding.
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    joeytw... 4h ago. 14 hour zoom? Like, stay logged into Zoom all day, for "collaboration"?
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    Wog33... • 5h ago. Well now he got a healthy dose of reality didn't he?
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    smooz... 4h ago . I'm confused. Did yall have 14hr daily zoom calls? Or was that how many hours per week they ended up being? How many
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    hours a day did yall work? How long did it take for the business to go from "Hey we're doing pretty good" to "Everything must go sale"?
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    626337 3h ago. I'm the MaNaGeR and I'm here to mAnAgE you to make sure you're not fl Ig off instead of doing the same work you've been doing all along.
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    A great cautionary tale for those adhering to the belief of the value of middle managers.
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    Living_... . 3h ago. Thats why you should promote from the inside. The workers that work or the most angry worker because he's the guy who wants s do e
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    . DynkoF... 3h ago At least you had a front row seat.
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    Piggyp... 4h ago • Not the cleverest person was he.
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    Imposs... 4h ago. D it! Soon as I read "aye aye captain" I heard that d_ Jed Sponge Bob theme song in my head. One of my 3 year old's favorite cartoons.
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work from home workplace-stories zoom work stories toxic-workplace job work satisfying quitting story Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit company quitting toxic-work-environment
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