'They kept messing it up': Employee refuses to come to work after boss insists on complicated shift schedules despite being warned it creates confusion, leading to a dispute

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Mar 20, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Working in a job that is based on shifts has pros and cons. While most people don't really choose the shift-life, we have to admit it does have its benefits. It's not as monotone as a regular 9 to 5 job, and you can (mostly) mold your schedule according to what works best for you. For example, if you're not a morning person, you can always request to work during later shifts and sleep all you want during the mornings.

However, those who actually worked in a shifts-based job, know how complicated those can get. Accommodating every employee's wants and needs in the schedule is a lot easier said than done, and mix-ups are bound to happen from time to time. Which then, in turn, leads managers to try and come up with clever, and extremely unnecessary solutions to any scheduling problem that might arise.

That is what happened to the employee in the story down below, whose boss's clever idea to divide the shifts on Saturdays turned into a whole debacle.

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  • The employee below explains the mix-up quite well, so we will let you read it for yourselves. The only thing we will say before you scroll down is that we're proud the employee stood their ground and did not let the management's poor decisions affect their personal life and schedule.

    Keep scrolling to read the full tale.

  • Me 5679 12 13 1 2 "They just actively chose to stay ignorant" 29 48 11
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "I will work on THAT Saturday YOU put me on the roster."

    TLDR: they changed the Saturday roster at work, arrogantly ignored my admonitions, so I let the new roster mess itself up.
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • At my ex-place of work they had the bright idea to switch the Saturday schedule. Instead of the rotation of 4 Saturdays, now people would be scheduled on either the
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Saturday of the month. Rrrrright... (Those of you readers who have ever had to make work schedules already know when the problem will present itself!)
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • I repeatedly asked those planners before the introduction of the new roster if they were sure they wanted to implement this, in this way, they repeatedly assured me
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • "Yes, this will be a more clear schedule and if everyone has a set Saturday there will be no need for further planning!" If you say so...
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • I was assigned Saturday #3. No problem with that. Now I was the *Veronika* there, my other colleagues were not interested in stirring the pot, so the 1st month, no
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • problem. The 2nd month... 5 saturdays! So the team that was assigned to the 1st Saturday had to show up for Saturday #5. Then on the 1st Saturday of the following month, the team from Saturday #2 had to
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • come in. And on Saturday #2, yep, they expected team #3 to be present. And they were, except for this *Veronika*. Even on the Friday before 2 of my group (#3) colleagues mentioned to me
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • something related to the next day, and I told those 2 "Oh, but I won't be there." "But we're supposed to do the Saturday shift tomorrow!" "Not me, I am assigned Saturday #3, not #2."
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • "But we are on the schedule!" "Well, I don't know about you, but they told me I'm on the schedule for Saturday #3, and tomorrow is the 2nd Saturday, so it's not my turn. Definitely not."
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • And what do you know... next morning, Saturday #2, at 09:35 the phone rang at my house. (We have to be at work at 09:00 to open doors at 09:30) You do understand
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • that I had switched of my cellphone before going to sleep... My sister answered, I could hear her from my room, where I was leisurily lazing in my bed. "Hello?" "...?"
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • "T? Yes, she's home, but asleep." "...!" "Work? I'm sure she doesn't, she explicitly told me she's gonna sleep in today because she isn't scheduled!" (Yes, I told her that!)
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • "....?" "Absolutely not! We have an understanding that when she's sleeping late I have to let her. I am definately not waking her up when it's her free Saturday!"
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • "...!" "Yeah, I don't know about that. I can tell her to call you when she wakes up, but it's her free Saturday, so I can't guarantee that she will. Or when." (My sister can also be a *Veronika*)
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • "...!" "[Actualy she did not say the next words literally, but something in that direction:] /Well, not my monkeys, not my circus./ Have a nice day, goodbye!"
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • (I had wanted her to say that probably someone must've made an error in the planning of the roster, but the monkey thing was also very cool!) After she hung up she came to my room and we had a big laugh.
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • And the following Monday... NOT ONE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE PLANNING NOR MY SUPERVISOR NOR ANY OF THE HIGHER-UPS DARED TO CONFRONT ME ABOUT MY ABSENCE ON SATURDAY #2 ! Nor on the Tuesday,
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.... And on Saturday #3 I was there, alongside the whole team of Saturday #4... We had 1 surplus worker that day! ③ D D D (C
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • (But would you believe that I still had to send out an email every month to remind everyone that I will not work on Saturday #1, nor on #2, I will be present on Saturday #3, but not on #4 AND
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  • ABSOLUTELY DEFINITELY NOT ON SATURDAY #5! Yeah, I'm that petty. They kept up messing it up for allmost a year.)
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • Mind you: It's not that my management was anything like the managements I read about online. It's just... sometimes it's like they just actively chose to stay ignorant and then be surprised with the consequences.
    via Tiara-di-Capi
  • 1234 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Pan Pickup Car from Dealer Select Service Providers for Bouw and Test Yoga classes Dinner Re Ship Set Priorit Lion team Resentation Project Testors Real Estate Lead he Sming Post 29 Get Clothes from Chemical cleaning B Copy Slides Reserve Table Prepare Docs with
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • AngrySquidlsOK Frankly, on Saturday 5 I am disappointed anyone turned up.
    via AngrySquidlsOK
  • Gilokee What a weird way to schedule. I used to work at a call center and everyone had to work every, like, 4th Saturday. But spread out obviously. Why not just do that...?
    via Gilokee
  • railroadbaron I'm surprised they didn't fire you for no call, no show, but I admire your pettiness!
    via railroadbaron
  • Crown_the_Cat My definition: Logic: that thing which is superseded by company policy.
    via Crown_the_Cat

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Tags

schedule boss shift workplace-stories employee manager job malicious compliance tales-from-the-workplace reddit story workplace work shifts Reddit company funny
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