'That's not legal at all. It's wage theft': Boss calls 20-year-old employee 'ungrateful' after she refuses to work overtime for free

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jan 13, 2025 6:00 PM EST

The best thing about employment is getting compensated for your work. No doubt about it. Sure, there are plenty of things we do, and enjoy doing without the incentive of pay. But we call those activities hobbies and volunteering, not work. This is the main tenant of jobs. You work, and then you are paid, so you can live your life and pay for the necessary goods and services it takes to be a human in this world. This is a pretty simple axiom, and yet it seems to trouble many employers. 

When you're a salaried worker, you might be willing to do a little work outside your job description now and then in order to help out your company. This will increase your chances of higher compensation in the future, you think. But when you're an hourly worker, especially at a low-paying job, the idea of working for free is insane. Not to mention illegal. 

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  • That's what happened in this situation, though, when a young worker was faced with the first of what will become many workplace dillemmas. They were asked to do something they should not be asked to do, but still faced possible repercussions when they said no. Read on to see what you would have done in this situation. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10454326528
    via Unsplash+ (Jordan González)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    Got called "ungrateful" for not wanting to work overtime for free

    1 (20F) just started my first full- time job a few months ago, and I've been trying really hard to make a good impression. I show up on time, finish my tasks early, and even pick up extra shifts when someone calls out. But last week, my manager asked if I could stay late to help clean up after a big project. I said sure, thinking I'd get paid for it.
    via u/miamonroexa
  • 03
    Well, turns out, that extra time was "off the clock" because the store was "over budget on hours". When I asked about it, my manager got annoyed and said I should want to help the team and that this job is about "more than just a paycheck:. I was stunned. I work hard because I want to build a future for myself, not because I'm doing this job for fun. Why would anyone stay late and work for free when we're barely making enough to get by?
    via u/miamonroexa
  • 04
    When I said I couldn't stay late if I wasn't being paid, they called me ungrateful and said I wasn't a "team player". Now I'm worried they're going to cut my hours or make my life harder at work. All because I set a boundary about not working for free.
    via u/miamonroexa
  • 05
    Why is it that so many jobs expect us to sacrifice out time and energy for nothing in return? They say it's about "team spirit", but really, it's just another way to take advantage of people. I'm so tired of this mindset..
    via u/miamonroexa
  • 06

    Other workers were quick to swoop in and set the record straight about what was going on here.

    Jgravy32 16h ago. • You need to contact the department of labor. What your boss did was illegal and you shouldn't ever do any work for free. Do so immediately and you will receive payment.
    via u/Jgravy32
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    Fid... • 16h ago Edited 5h ago That's not legal at all. It's wage theft. NEVER work off the clock. Not even a small task. If you slip and fall and get injured, they are off the hook If you let this one slide, assert yourself in the future. Say "If I'm not on clock, my shift is over. Bye!"
    via u/Fiddle_Dork
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    It's hard to stand up to people. You'll be proud of yourself and respect yourself, even if they fire you for it
    via u/Fiddle_Dork
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    parkesc • 16h ago "I won't be a team player if you won't be a team payer."
    via u/parkesc
  • 10
    bluegumgum • 16h ago What they're doing is illegal but also stupid. If you were to be hurt while working but not getting paid they wouldn't. be held responsible. - Start looking for other work while you can. You did the right thing.
    via u/bluegumgum
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    Mr_Poodoo 16h ago The only reason I show up to work is for the paycheck.
    via u/Mr_Poodoo
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    Iwould pick Jeanluc • 16h ago You got set up. By doing "extra" instead of "just enough" they thought they could ab e you
    via u/IwouldpickJeanluc
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    Successful_Ad3483 • 16h ago you did the right thing and good for you at a young age. IF the retalate you need to look for something else
    via u/Successful_Ad3483
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    . jbmoore5 16h ago HI, I don't volunteer for overtime even when they pay me doubletime.
    via u/jbmoore5
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    kubrick5150 · 14h ago . Ask them to put their request in writing. Any request they won't write is something you should never do and they know it.
    via u/kubrick5150
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    type102 15h ago You are expected to sacrifice your life, time and energy because the company would prefer to have slaves - that is why it's important to not pay you for that time that you worked for them.
    via u/type102
  • 17
    Cheezburger Image 10454327296
    via Unsplash+ (Jordan González)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 18
    BubzerBlue 14h ago . Unpaid volunteerism for a for- profit company is illegal... and Mr Manager should (like does) know that. You need to report that guy to your state's Labor Commissioner's office or the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division to file a complaint about wage theft.
    via u/BubzerBlue
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    If your manager was really a team player, he would be assuring you got paid for the work... cause that'd be taking care of the team.
    via u/BubzerBlue
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    T... 15h ago Edited 15h ago That is against the law. Is this a large chain? Though I am not fond of them, they would probably have people there to make sure you get paid and the manager would be in trouble, and hopefullt fired.
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    This said, when I worked Wal- Mart they did a nasty thing in regard to overtime. They would have me stay longer, but I had to get rid of the time in a different shift, but not at the start and not at the end, instead, extend my lunch. I was a night stocker with an hour lunch at 2AM. I had no
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    car. This was torture mainly because they had me stay an hour or more, which would mean I also lost an hour of work contribution in the middle of the night, which would start the cycle over and over again. Now I think this notion was meant for going a few minutes over to finish up the work if we were running
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    behind, no more than ten minutes. I was frozen foods and fast at my job. I spent the last few hours running around helping areas that had fallen behind and I seemed to be the only one to make bales, collect pallets and things. They made me stay an hour or more, the day time crew that came in, because they
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    saw me working where someone else had fallen off when they came in. Daytime managers and crew like to on nighttime take the crew like they do nothing, and nighttime crew at a Wal-Mart really does the most work. Daytime crew has a lot of work to do too, and I won't talk trash of anyone working at Wal-Mart, but some
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    managers definitely like to pit day crew against night crew, cashiers against stockers and so on, and that is disgusting. We are all doing hard valuable work that benefits our local communities and we get treated like trash working in retail from corporate, admin, some management, some customers and society as a whole for being anything
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    associated with Wal-Mart. We do not get enough pay, now we do not get enough hours, and we are understaffed. around with overtime should be criminal. You should be able to go home and if you work extra, you should make extra. I can
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    understand shuffling a schedule with prior approval on your part, but this is inappropriate and taking advantage of a good worker. Taking advantage of a good worker like this is bad customer service.
    via u/TheVelcroStrap
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    Fresh-Willow-1421 • 15h ago You aren't ungrateful, you're unstupid. Jobs ARE about the paycheck, otherwise they'd be hobbies.
    via u/Fresh-Willow-1421

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