Manager demands employee arrive 30 minutes before clocking in to ‘get ready for the shift’, employee refuses, then gets demoted to a different role: ‘I don't work for free’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Oct 25, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

Those of us who had the misfortune of working a minimum wage job in retail or at a restaurant know how much those places of work try to take advantage of their employees. Usually, it comes in the form of attempting to get employees to work more for less money, which 90% of the time is not even legal. That is why anyone who even considers working in a place like that should be really careful and look after themselves.

Luckily, the employee in this Reddit story managed to recognize the red flags while they were working as a cook in a food chain, so they made sure their manager didn't cross any lines. The biggest red flag was when their boss demanded they come in to work 30 minutes early every day and start working on tasks before they even clocked in. The employee firmly refused this bizarre (and illegal) demand, which led to a series of events that ended up with the employee resigning from the job.

Keep scrolling to read the full story. After that, click here for a story of an entitled employee who got himself uninvited from coworker's game nights.

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    SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESD S0.1 Reg Time Overtime Fed. W/H Tax Obi. Time F.I.C.A. Hrs. Hrs. @ St. W/ Tax TOTAL DEDUCTIONS ณ
    via Ryan McVay
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    Manager wanted me to arrive 30 minutes early to get ready before clocking in.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    I'm asking out of curiosity-About 10 years ago, I was a cook at C: while attending school. I clocked in right on time and stayed til I was done, rarely got a break.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    One day, my manager pulled me aside and said something along the lines of "show up 30 minutes early, get your line stocked, get your supplies and tools you need, then go clock in" because it.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    makes me look like a good, dedicated employee. I looked him dead in the eyes and said "you pay me $12 an hour and want me to give you a free half hour every day? I won't do
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    that, I don't work for free." Working 4-5 days a week, would mean it would shorten my check by 4-5 hours per pay period. That left a foul taste in my mouth.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    Later that week I got moved to the dish room and told they "needed me there" and I ended up no call/no showing and found a new job.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    I'm not going to do anything about it now since nothing really happened, but back then, what should I have done?
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    swordstool 20h ago • what should I have done? Clocked in when you got there and started to get ready.
    via swordstool
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    Proud_Excitement_146 OP 21h ago Haha I should have. I imagine he would have modified my hours on the computer though.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    AdAltruistic3161 • 21h ago That would be totally illegal and unethical if the manager did that. Also the manager telling you to work before clocking in is also unethical. Good for you for finding a new job. That place sounds toxic
    via AdAltruistic3161
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    10 Proud_Excitement_... OP 20h ago On a side note, a friend of mine was a CNA at the time, and her nursing home wrote you up for staying over your shift. The CNAs would get their charting done, then clock out, and finish
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    their work which included toilet ing, changing, baths etc. she left that job after being written up for staying over an hour/ the relief didn't arrive.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    greenghostburner • 20h ago • Back when I worked in a processing role our manager told us we needed to be fully logged into our computer and into all our systems
    via greenghostburner
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    and basically be starting the first request when our shift started. It took 10 mins to get logged in to everything, seemed like b¨¨ it at the time
    via greenghostburner
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    Proud_Excitement_... OP 19h ago It's very reasonable for employees to be ready when the business opens, I'm fine with clocking in at 750, getting logged in and ready for my first customer at 8.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    I worked at sears one summer and the manager would not let us even turn the lights on without clocking in He also wrote down everyone's breaks and would relieve us so we could leave-he took his lunch first
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    or last, depending on the day. The latest I ever took a lunch break was 1 on. The worst thing he did? "Grab the trash on your way out!" So I gave him 30 seconds of unpaid labor, but it was worth it.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    potential_human0 • 18h ago • what should I have done? When manager said "show up 30 minutes early, get your line stocked, get your supplies and tools you need, then go clock in." I would have responded, "So you want me to start working 30
    via potential_human0
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    minutes earlier than what the schedule says? Understood." Then you show up 30 minutes earlier, as requested, and clock in first, then begin working. Keeping notes or taking a picture of your time card. Let them create physical evidence of them breaking the law by docking your paycheck or changing your time card.
    via potential_human0
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    Proud_Excitement_... OP 17h ago Smart, however I want to say the system wouldn't let you clock in too early, I could be mistaken, it's been too long to remember. I wish I could go back then, record myself clocking in at 330, and
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    record myself clocking out and comparing it to my check and hours worked. And managers wonder why employees leave so easily.
    via Proud_Excitement_146
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    BetterBiscuits • 20h ago • It's wage theft. If anyone is experiencing this, report the business to the Department of Labor. It's a common practice in restaurant kitchens, and it's illegal.
    via BetterBiscuits
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    Starfury42 20h ago • Nope. You get paid for set up time and clean up it's all part of the - job. Intel lost a case years ago - they didn't wan to pay workers to get in/out of the clean room suits but ended up paying when they lost in court.
    via Starfury42

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salary boss antiwork workplace-stories employee fired manager job tales-from-the-workplace reddit story overworked-employees workplace Reddit company money
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