Manager schedules 17-year-old worker for 3-9 PM shifts Monday through Friday, despite her getting out of school at 2:30 PM: 'I work 10:30 AM-7:00 PM on weekends.'

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Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Nov 23, 2025 8:00 AM EST

She's way too overscheduled for a high school kid.

If there's one group that is easy to take advantage of in the workplace, it's teenagers. Sure, there might be pesky child labor laws keeping bosses from treating them like late-19th-century factory workers, but the ethos of that era still often rings true. 

I remember the first day of my first job. I was scheduled from 5-9, and when the clock hit 9, I asked the guy training me if I could leave. You would've thought I had committed the greatest social faux pas of all time by how he reacted to that request. In response, he said, "I leave when my work is done, not when the schedule says I'm done." Because it was my first job, I didn't realize this was an unusual and unrealistic expectation placed on me. I had to rely on my parents to tell me what was acceptable and what was not in a working environment, and luckily, they set me straight. 

The best thing about being a child laborer is that, unless you're a high-earning child star, there are little to no repercussions for quitting your job if it becomes increasingly unreasonable.

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  • Young black woman in uniform scanning food products and putting them on the other side of the cash register
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • One teen recently went viral after posting the schedule of her increasingly and unrealistically demanding job. This kid doesn't know how to manage working 6 hours a day every day after school, and over 8 hours a day on the weekends, but she knows it's not right.

  • I'm a 17 year old. Days where I'm 3:00-9:00 are school days. School is from 6:30-2:30.

    11:49 = וי A 4G lll 1% My Schedule TODAY > Express Cashier 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM [6.00] SAT 17 > Express Cashier 10:30 AM - 7:00 PM [8.50] SUN 18 > Express Cashier 10:30 AM - 7:00 PM [8.50] MON 19 > Express Cashier 3:00 PM 9:00 PM [6.00] TUE 20 > Express Cashier 3:00 PM 9:00 PM [6.00] WED 21 > Express Cashier 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM [6.00] THU 22 ) BY Express Cashier 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM [6.00] 15 >>> i i i i i i i
    via u/Throwaway_Blackmail
  • x_Rann_x You need rest days. Fuck that schedule and fuck their store. If you don't need the money burn that bridge.
    via u/x_Rann_x
  • Fabulous-Ad6844 Iv'e a teen working. She had a lot of days like this at the start. But once she started staying up to 1am doing homework & trying to stay home "sick", I told her she had to tell her boss she can only work Fri & Sat plus early Sundays, or quit. She put that in writing to them & that's her schedule now. She also is on call for random shifts that I let her take if her school work is all done. So she's regularly contacted to come in when someone calls out & she usually is able to do
    via u/Fabulous-Ad6844
  • RopeAccomplished2728 That is the thing here. As a parent, you are able to make a workplace only have your child work X days and X amount of hours. The workplace either has to abide by that or just terminate the job and go from there. They cannot go against the parents wishes without further issues. If the OP wanted to, they could get their parent involved and either the workplace can find another worker or they can abide by whatever schedule the parent wanted.
    via u/RopeAccomplished2728
  • Fabulous-Ad6844 I actually had my daughter do it herself. I wanted her to learn how to advocate for herself. We role played & I helped her practice how to set the boundaries in a professional, courteous way.
    via u/Fabulous-Ad6844
  • Throwaway_Blackmail OP Extra context: I also worked on Thursday the 15th although it is unpictured. I have work from 10:30-7:00 on Christmas Eve although I have the 23rd and 25th off, that's just because those are days we're closed for the holidays. I have removed information below my work hours as to not expose neither the company I work for neither the location in which it is located.
    via u/Throwaway_Blackmail
  • Fabulous-Ad6844 You have to set boundaries of when you're available & stick to them. You control your life. Not them.
    via u/Fabulous-Ad6844
  • DiamondBowelz Sir you are 17. You are spending xmas eve with your family. This job is expendable. Please don't choose to work over seeing your family for the holidays
    via u/DiamondBowelz
  • yeahbuddy-fake So what is the concern/complaint that you have? • Is the 30 minutes between school and work not enough? Talk it out with your employer • Are you concerned that the employer is doing something illegal by scheduling you this much? Check state/federal laws online and then file a complaint with the DoL
    via u/yeahbuddy-fake
  • • You just don't want to work this much? As long as reduction in hours will keep you on the path to your financial goals - Talk it out with your employer •⚫ Is school work taking a hit? Work less. Talk it out with your employer • You don't need this much work? Talk it out with your employer
    via u/yeahbuddy-fake
  • RollForPanic Attack The amount of places that will absolutely ignore you asking for less hours is higher than ever. It's because they don't have enough staff most of the time. Because they overwork their staff.
    via u/RollForPanicAttack
  • [deleted] Yeah, I'm sure an employer that's sensitive enough to schedule a high school kid on eight days in a row will be super receptive to said kid about changing his hours. Don't act like OP's complaint is ridiculous-this scheduling manager knows what they're doing and doesn't care as long as they can get away with it.
    via u/[deleted]
  • kinguwu what the actual fuck????????????? literally how are you supposed to do anything besides go to school and work :(( i'm so sorry dude. i can't imagine how hard it is to get homework done, let alone have fun.
    via u/kinguwu
  • didyouseetheecho I worked 40 hours a week my last two years of high school and all 8 of college. Do not recommend.
    via u/didyouseetheecho
  • Displeased African American worker thinking of something while working at lumber distribution warehouse
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • psiiconic No, as a teacher: set boundaries. You deserve free time. You can't do that between the demands of senior year, a job with hours like this, and still relax. It's just not possible. Be kind to yourself. If your teachers knew you were working this type of schedule (at least if your teachers are decent people) they would be horrified and worried about you.
    via u/psiiconic
  • Teacher in eyeglasses talking to student during the lesson in the classroom
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • [deleted] The best part of being a student is you most likely don't need the job to survive so you can actually stand up for yourself. Try it. I did. It works.
    via u/[deleted]
  • fitzy588 Not suppose to work over 20 hours per week by "Law" since you're a minor. Make them lower the hours or they'll get repercussions.
    via u/fitzy588
  • Icy_Mousse_4144 It was like this in high school for me also, only getting paid 7.25. As soon as you graduate go for a better job or focus on school if you go. Don't stay at a job who does this.
    via u/Icy_Mousse_4144
  • Darth-Majora- Idk where you live but I'm pretty sure it's illegal in most places to schedule you 7 days in a row without a day off.
    via u/Darth-Majora-
  • Bot6241101 It's the holidays. Busiest time of the year for most retail places. And it seems literally every company on the planet is looking for help. Meaning they're short staffed. You got 2 options. Quit, or go to management and tell them you simply can't work this many hours. You have no time to study, do homework, live. Tell 'em you can do like weekends and maybe 1-2 days during the week. They may threaten to fire you. But at the same time, if they're in need of help, and they're smart, they
    via u/Bot6241101
  • [deleted] Ahh yes, I remember being a child laborer. Those were the days. I went to a "good" high school, so I had shit tons of work, but I had to have a job. Needless to say I was burnt out by my senior year, and it hurt my gpa.
    via u/[deleted]

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management teens shift worker jobs employee teenager manager job teenagers work managers work shifts work shift holidays employment schedule
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