‘"No OT! No exceptions!". Sure thing boss man’: New manager bans all overtime, leading to understaffed production lines, losing $120,000 in a day, and gets fired only three months into job

A new manager with a fresh title and a spotless clipboard bans overtime like he's solving waste, then watches two production lines freeze because the schedule still believes in sick days, vacations, and people who leave early when knives or life get in the way. He's asked for clarity, says no exceptions, and gets exactly that: no coverage, no bodies, no output, and a supervisor repeating the policy with a straight face while the plant bleeds cash into the drain. The funniest part is the accounting. A few hours of OT would have cost lunch money compared to a full day of idle lines, but certainty is cheap until it hits payroll, and certainty without contingencies is a tantrum in a suit.

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  • Zero OT? You got it

    Factory workers working in factory production line assembling parts.
    via Smederevac

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

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  • This is how managerial cosplay collapses. A rule arrives without math, exceptions are treated like mutiny, and reality does the performance review. Operations live on buffers: cross training, coverage pools, flexible budgets, someone to pick up the line when life calls in sick. Kill the buffer and the system fails on time and in public.

  • Years ago I worked in a meat packing plant as a supervisor. It had its ups and downs, but overall it's was good.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • Until a new production manager was hired. We'll call him Bob. Bob didn't come from the floor, or even leadership.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • He had an engineering background. Whatever, I'll try to keep an open mind. Well my mind was only open for about four and a half mins.
    via CrazyEhHole
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  • Factory workers walking in factory next to production line
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • First day, first time meeting, he declares he's going to "right the ship" Sure thing boss, right that ship that is already sailing in the right direction.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • He declares that going forward there will be no more OT. He states we are away money with the amount of OT we pay.
    via CrazyEhHole
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  • I asked for clarification "what about vacation coverage? Sick calls? Etc.). He replies "No OT! No exceptions!". Sure thing boss man.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • Now I should point out, the department is work in is massive. My direct team at that time was 70 people.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • a factory worker looking content with a small smile on his face
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

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  • There were other rooms that other supervisors looked after for a total of 220ish employees. Now I'm assuming all of you reading this are infinitely smarter than Bob
    via CrazyEhHole
  • and have figured out that with a team that size, we dont just get one sick call, we averaged seven per day. Vacations?
    via CrazyEhHole
  • 10% of the workforce was our cut off. Usually we hovered at 12 people a day. Not to mention leaves of absence, people leaving early etc.
    via CrazyEhHole
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  • So, on Friday I went to Bob one last time. I let him know that we are going to be short 19 people next week and ask once more for him to approve OT.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • I got a flat no in response. I considered going above him, but i figured letting the guy drown would be better. I didn't ask for OT.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • Employees were coming up to me "boss, are you sure there's no OT next week?" Yes I'm sure Bob wants it that way.
    via CrazyEhHole
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  • The fantasy that planning replaces people is why plants stall, why teams burn out, and why bosses with slogans last a quarter, not a year. Good leadership prices risk, buys slack, and understands that overtime is not indulgence but insurance. It is cheaper to pay time and a half than to pay for nothing, and cheaper to build a bench than to outsource blame. Policies should survive contact with Mondays. If they can’t, they’re not policies, they’re press releases. In the end the line restarts, the calls go out, the OT flows, and the lesson arrives in the only language budget respects: don’t right a ship by drilling holes in the hull.

  • Come next week. Two production lines aren't running. Bob comes to me upset demanding to know why two of the lines aren't running?
    via CrazyEhHole
  • Is is mechanical downtime? No bob, i have no one to run the line. He stammers something about staffing appropriately and having better planning.
    via CrazyEhHole
  • "I asked you multiple times to approve OT, you said no each time. I was just following your direction". Cue the angry storm off.
    via CrazyEhHole
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  • with him yelling "get some people in here!" Anyways, I then have to call people at home and schedule OT for the rest of the week
    via CrazyEhHole
  • because Bob sunk our ship instead of righting it. I couldn't staff those two lines that day. For those wondering, not running those two lines that day lost the company $120,000 dollars (no I'm not exaggerating).
    via CrazyEhHole
  • Bob gets a strip torn off him by his boss a guy I've known at that time for 10 years. He came and spoke to me about it outside (we both smoke)
    via CrazyEhHole
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  • was "what the f he thinking? I thought engineers were supposed to be smart?" I choked on my ciga tte laughing. Bob lasted about three months.
    via CrazyEhHole

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management boss workplace-stories hr manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
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