Boss removes flexible working conditions, leading to the resignation of a top employee : 'Boss wanted to take away the only reason I stayed in the company'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
May 27, 2025 1:00 AM EDT

Make no mistake: Flexible working conditions are a perk of a job, to be certain. But they should never be mistaken for a privilege. Flexible work is a part of the overall effective compensation, the whole package; changing it or removing it without communication, coordination, and cooperation is the same as reducing compensation without renegotiation.

Employers, of course, get this wrong all the time, their authoritarian mindset leading them to think that it's their prerogative to make whatever changes they wish to "their" company. Yet, they'll blame anything but themselves when their decisions lead to their company going under.

It's all in the name of "efficiency," ignoring the fact that managers are often the least effective members of their teams when it comes to their own performance metrics. But making changes and saying they're doing something feels good to them, even if it flies in the face of logic and empirical evidence. 

Sure, some people aren't effective when they're working from home, but if someone doesn't want to work, forcing them to sit in an office isn't going to change that. Instead, you are making things worse for and crushing the motivation of those who are always trying their hardest. By removing their flexible working conditions, you're gaining nothing but losing the support of those who are doing all the work anyway.

Managers will never see this—if they even cared. They're just looking to propel their career and springboard into the next job. The burnout and turnover will occur long after they've left and after they've completed a victory lap of their "accomplishments," which effectively amount to gutting what was once a good job for their now-disillusioned subordinates. 

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  • 01

    "Boss wanted to take away the only reason I stayed in the company, so I found a way to get it back."

    I work in an industry I lothe, I prefer helping people one on one to improve their lives however I can but life brought me to a corporate hole full of negativity, an overly ambitious hipster CEO, enough money for SWAG but not enough money to hire enough people for each department so everyone suffers with stupid SWAG no one cares about. Turnover rate is WILD!
    via u/Willbily
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10510455040
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story. 
     

  • 03
    I work in an essential, often over looked section of the company. We handle massive volumes of clients who choose our company, or leave. (Vague on purpose, national company) We handle legal contracts, keeping new clients happy before we send them to their new team, and a million. other tiny tasks that need to be done precisely or it'll ruin other departments and we could lose TONS of money.
    via u/Willbily
  • 04
    Anyway, all of that to say there is not one person in this company that knows every aspect of our specific role and how to keep everything afloat. My Team Lead decided it was time to leave and pursue her dream career after nearly 6 years perfecting this role, 4 of those years were with me. Me being the , procedure perfecting, anxious about making any mistake type person, we were the backbone of the sector. Dream team.
    via u/Willbily
  • 05
    So of course when she left she told all the bosses who praised the ground she walked upon that I should get the job. She knew full well I hated this place but I was waiting for something perfect to come along, but she also knew I am the only one who could hit the ground running. I didn't exactly WANT the job but we would all end up suffering and i'd end up training without the extra pay... so I reluctantly took it.
    via u/Willbily
  • 06
    The sheer amount of stress of cross training for 2 weeks for this position while already doing my full duties (an extremely stressful job in itself) and picking up the slack for both of us while she tied up loose ends, me creating far more detailed procedures prior to her leaving, already made me so stressed out I was having chest pains, breaking down, and wanting to quit.
    via u/Willbily
  • 07
    This being a company with horrible leadership, I didnt even get my contract until several weeks after I accepted the job and discussed the terms. AND they still havent backfilled my position so I am still suffering a few month after I started training. No increased payment for the training and extra work I had to endure, and chose the start date AFTER the
    via u/Willbily
  • 08
    training was done. I have been losing hair, breaking out, having nightmares, bursting into tears, had to find a therapist because I have been pushing myself to be the best I can while being set up for failure and have zero support and I CARE about a job well done but I am just.... failing no matter how many extra hours I put in on evenings and weekends. Mental health is going down the drain~ ANYWAY.
    via u/Willbily
  • 09
    On to the actual malicious compliance. 1. I started work at 7:30 am for years, this helped a lot with my work-life balance because I am a single mom and I can be home a bit earlier to take care of them.
    via u/Willbily
  • 10
    2. We have the option to opt into working an extra 25 minutes each day to get a half day on every second Friday. Some people don't care about it, but I found this incredibly useful, especially for Dr appointments and to use only a half day vacation for a full day off. Strategic. This meant I worked from 7:30am to 4:25pm. (We have an hour unpaid lunch we have to take)
    via u/Willbily
  • 11
    These 2 things were the reason I stuck around this long. These kept me sane and allowed me to be there for my kids as much as I could, and still be fully mentally there for them. WELL I was told that if I decide to become a Team Lead I have to start at 8:30 and end at 5pm. I asked if that could be modified at all, the answer was no. ¨. I'm
    via u/Willbily
  • 12
    thinking I am already taking on far more stress and now I have less time with my children too, AND the kids see my suffering as much as I try to hide it. I am then told that I will no longer get every second Friday as a half day either, so no more working the extra 25 mins a day.
    via u/Willbily
  • 13
    The reasoning was 'we need you here during normal business hours'. you, but makes sense. For a company who needs me to keep this business going, no one was budging on this and as someone who already hates this place and feels no one gives a about my mental health and how I have even been injured for this company, I shut down.
    via u/Willbily
  • 14
    So I logged into the system to book days off every second Friday, and asked my old Team Lead to accept them right before she left. She said GLADLY. SO now I have every second Friday off, I don't work the extra 25 minutes a day, I get paid way more and I am using my new title to find a better job.
    via u/Willbily
  • 15
    Less work for more money while I hand in resumes. I am trying to learn to be okay with failure in the mean time. Wooooosahh. Whenever we have a meeting where the boss asks if they should be aware of any time off, I just smile and remind them that I have the usual every second friday as a half day. They just nod. :) The end.
    via u/Willbily
  • 16
    Reasonable_Star_959. 2 hr. ago Boom! You will be on to your own dream job soon. Nicely done!! ✔ RGLynB OP. 2 hr. ago Yess! That thought helps me get through this. Thank you.
    via u/Willbily
  • 17
    Cfwydirk 2 hr. ago I was not liking where this was going, but then.... I am using my new title to find a better job. Good on you. RGLynB OP. 2 hr. ago Thank you! It's about time. Glad they made it easier for me, I guess. :]
    via u/Willbily
  • 18
    HMS_Slartibartfast 1 hr. ago Please tell me you've banked enough sick time so you can turn in a month's notice.. Along with a note from your therapists stating you need a month off to "recuperate".
    via u/Willbily

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workplace discussion employment issues antiwork workplace-stories jobs employee employment-discussion job work i quit quit employees overworked-employees workplace Horrible Bosses quitting employment in the workplace
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