Boss demands hourly employee wash workplace linens at their own home: 'He's saving money for the company at your expense':

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Apr 17, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

As a boss, you often want it all: you want your employees to get 110% of their work done, while saving you labor costs by working fewer hours. Of course, it doesn't really work like that in real life. If you want all of the work finished, it'll cost you, because you'll have to schedule those employees for plenty of hours. Or you can cut their hours and send people home early, but then, you won't get everything finished for the day. That leaves the manager to handle these tasks. Or, as some of them have figured out, you can simply demand that your employee get the task done at any cost. This puts pressure on the worker: they don't want to incur their boss's wrath, and some of them will work off the clock to get the task finished. 

This breeds resentment, because no one wants to do a thankless job (especially if they're not even technically getting paid for it). And this guy's boss wanted them to do laundry while off the clock. It's a Sisyphean task just to do your own laundry, let alone adding workplace linens into the mix.

Up next, read this wild story of a guy who got fined $11,000 (and lost his golf cart and car!) after ignoring some sage advice from a neighbor: "The neighbor would prefer him to "mind his own business."

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  • 01
    I worked at a therapy clinic for a short span. We would use towels, and pillow cases frequently for exercises and icing/heat applications. We had just moved to a new site that did not have an in house washer or dryer, and my director had no intentions of hiring a contractor to deliver and
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 02
    pick up linen. We were tasked by the director with taking the linen home ourselves and washing it. Many of my coworkers just took it as part of the job, but I did not agree. We were hourly workers and that was blatantly a work related activity. When it was my turn to take the linen home, I
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 03
    clocked in on my phone prior to starting the washer, and clocked out only after I had taken out AND folded all of the linen. A week later my manager sends me a text questioning my extra time, and I simply replied with I was on
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10494869504
    via Curated Lifestyle For Unsplash+

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

  • 05
    the clock washing the linen. It was not long after that we had a new contractor coming by the office weekly to pick up and deliver fresh linen.
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 06

    Commenters were rather disturbed by the implications of the story

    H. This likely violated several health standards, linens from hospitals and clinics are considered biohazards and need to be cleaned to a specific standard using industrial machines and detergents.
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 07
    oromis95 That doesn't include all the extra costs associated to running a washer and dryer and wear and tear.
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 08
    Silvaria928 Amazing how fast management will do a U- turn when they realize they aren't getting extra work for free.
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 09
    Newbosterone And I thought you were going to solve the problem by washing them with a cheap red t-shirt and returning pink linens.
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 10
    CaptainInMass You should be compensated for your time, your water use and your electricity as well as a stipend for wear and tear on your non- commercial home appliances. He's saving money for the company at your expense. Outrageous.
    via u/stonkstogo
  • 11
    zenunseen Who in their right mind would think that's a reasonable request for hourly workers? OP, you did the exact right thing in this case
    via u/
  • 12
    Katy_moxie That man realized he had someone who would enforce their hourly pay and, if ypu talked to everyone, he would pay more for the overtime than it would be to get a linen company.
    via u/
  • 13
    Cheezburger Image 10494869248
    via Curated Lifestyle For Unsplash+

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

  • 14
    Newplasticactio... If you transported the linen in your car to and from work that could have dictated clock in/out times.
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  • 15
    Is inatuba Medical linen is dried at a temp your drier cant achieve.
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  • 16
    LokiLadyBlue My last boss had me do the laundry at home, and then complained when there was dog hair on it. Sorry buddy, you get what you get.
    via u/

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boss workplace-stories jobs job malicious compliance bosses work coworkers malicious-compliance-reddit workplace malicious compliance reddit
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