'Boss asked me to show team spirit and come in unpaid': Job asks employee who just worked 6 days straight to come in for a 7th day to 'volunteer' unpaid, employee quits on the spot

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Aug 8, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Some people take too many liberties when it comes to work. We all have different definitions of it, I suppose, but it boils down to being paid for services. You provide a service, and you are compensated monetarily. This is sort of the barest bones definition, but it bears repeating because bosses don't always understand that. Sometimes they only hear the first part, the "provide a service" part, and they forget about the rest. 

Because no matter how much you love your job, unless it's literally a volunteer position, the odds that you would do it for no money are probably slim. We all have lives outside of the things we do to make money, and we'd like time to live them. So it's healthy to draw boundaries around your work life when you can-- not that this is an easy thing to do. They don't always make it easy. 

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  • Quit my job after they tried to make me "volunteer" on my only day off.

    Worked 6 days straight, already covering for someone else. Boss asked me to "show team spirit" and come in unpaid on my one day off. I said no. Got guilt-tripped. Quit on the spot. I'm tired of loyalty being a one-way street.
    via u/BorkBorkIAmADoggo
  • A yellow sticky note reads "I Quit!" pasted on a keyboard.
    via Nick Fewings

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

  • That's what happened in this situation where a boss forgot about their employee's very real drive to make money and not have their time taken advantage of. Either they forgot, or they never cared in the first place. In any case, the employee was completely fed up and took matters into their own hands. Read on to see what happened. 

  • This wasn't a "team" it was a trap. I feel relieved and just a little scared but mostly free. Anyone else ever just hit their limit and walk?
    via u/BorkBorkIAmADoggo

  • Commenters agreed that this was totally over-the-line.

    chpbnvic 1d ago • Unpaid?? The audacity. F no.
    via u/chpbnvic
  • Mbonace 1d ago . Unpaid work is wage theft, plain and simple. You don't owe them your life. Smart move walking away, that team spirit BS is just code for exploitation.
    via u/Mbonace
  • treehugger312 • 12h ago My last job (suburban park district) made me "volunteer" over a 3-day weekend, 12+ hour days, and got carnival food in return. This was also sandwiched between two regular 5-day weeks, so I did 12 straight days. Was told it was "just part of the job". I also had co id and they still made me come in and told me not to tell anybody. I noped right the f out of there ASAP.
    via u/treehugger312
  • megaman311 • 1d ago Yes, I had a micromanager ask me why I wasn't responding to her chats. quicker? After a year of dealing with her bs, I simply got up and walked out the door and never looked back.
    via u/megaman311
  • eritain231. 1d ago Bro not just can you help that day but unpaid. UNPAID. in my country that would be 200 procent pay. That is so mad disrespecfull
    via u/eritain231
  • doortrashsuxsmycock · 1d ago . Its illegal to come in unpaid call the labor board
    via u/doortrashsuxsmycock
  • A fed-up man rips up paper at his desk.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • HorrorBusiness1234 · 1d ago Yea screw that your company is probably getting good PR and a tax write off and all you get is your day off taken away unpaid. Good for you for quitting.
    via u/HorrorBusiness1234
  • Technical-Sun-2016 1d ago Volunteering is for sick kids and disaster victims. Employers are expected to pay employees for any and all hours worked.
    via u/Technical-Sun-2016
  • InebriousBarman 22h ago • I've been asked to 'donate' time before. I just said no. When pushed, I explained our relationship, and their misconception of it. I give you time, you give me money. If you ask for more time, you need to be offering more money.
    via u/InebriousBarman
  • . psderidder 23h ago Came into a shift for KFC and the manager asked me to cook uncovered chicken that had been left out overnight in the walk in. This was literally in my training as something we're not supposed to do. I asked him if he was serious, he was, then I asked if employment was at will which it also was/still is in my state. Walked out, and never looked back. That restaurant closed a year later.
    via u/psderidder
  • Reverend Bull • 1d ago . Unpaid? F no. Pay me overtime, or do without.
    via u/Reverend_Bull
  • KireMac 1d ago • I 100 would have gotten email verification and showed up. Then marched my a right over to the DoL to file a complaint.
    via u/KireMac
  • kmleather · 1d ago Work is a simple binary exchange of your time for their money. They failed to fulfill their part of that contract.
    via u/kmleather
  • asyouwish 23h ago • "no I will not break the law for you."
    via u/asyouwish
  • • Forymanarysanar 23h ago having to work 6 days a week would immediately trigger my limit
    via u/Forymanarysanar
  • IzziPurrito • 22h ago . Hey boss how about you pay me an entire day for my weekend. Show some team spirit and let me have more money so I can pay my | rent.
    via u/IzziPurrito
  • . icsh33ple 22h ago Why quit, just say no. I always get another job then quit or I'll quietly quit and wait to get fired as I'm casually looking for work elsewhere while simultaneously seeing how long I can get paid whilst maintaining the bare minimum effort.
    via u/icsh33ple
  • III_Quantity_5634 · 16h ago • No can do, bossman. My bills can't be paid with "team spirit."
    via u/III_Quantity_5634
  • reala728 • 21h ago You should have done it. Then, got "hurt" while on the premises, performing work related tasks, while off the clock. Could have just got your biggest paycheck yet.
    via u/reala728
  • FireKist 14h ago YUP. F that sh. Ask them if they'd pay you for not coming in - if they say no then tell them welp, you don't pay me to do nothing, and I don't do anything unless you pay me. It works both ways. If they want to treat you like an owner, the pay needs to be commensurate!
    via u/FireKist
  • personofshadow • 5h ago Is it possible they wanted you to 'volunteer' because in some places they legally can't have you work more than 6 days without a day off? Thats insane, of course they're just trading one crime for another.
    via u/personofshadow
  • FH2actual 4h ago Yup. I work for the post office. I'm "lucky" to have my four days off a month...
    via u/FH2actual
  • Rlyagollet ⚫ 23h ago Absolutely iconic Sometimes quitting is the ultimate team spirit
    via u/Rlyagollet

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story satisfying quitting story toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit quitting toxic-work-environment
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