Boss asks employee to pick up her keys at another office off the clock, refuses to admit it's wage theft: 'No, I am not her personal assistant'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Dec 12, 2025 10:00 PM EST

This worker found herself in a tricky situation when her boss asked her to do something off the clock. Sometimes you have to go above and beyond for your job. You have to do things that aren't exactly in your job description to show that you're a team player. But these moments should be taken with extreme care. You should never feel obligated to do these tasks. You should feel like you're doing them out of your own desire to contribute. Where things get dicey is when employers consistently ask things of their workers that are above and beyond the regular scope of their jobs. What this ends up feeling like is disrespect for their workers' time, energy, and skills. But on the other hand, sometimes stuff comes up in a job that you can't always anticipate. 

You might need to do some odd jobs here and there just to make sure the wheels keep turning. That's what happened in this situation, where an annoying task came up, and instead of just doing it herself, the manager offloaded it onto one of her employees. But she refused to acknowledge that it was real work that should be treated as such. 

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  • 01
    An upset employee drives to work.
    via Dekler Ph

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

  • So the worker was left feeling undervalued and underappreciated. She also wanted to be compensated for the effort she was putting in. Not an unreasonable expectation at a job. Read on for the full story and see exactly what happened here, and decide who you think was in the right.

  • 02

    My boss argued with me today that making me pick up keys to the office off the clock was not considered "wage theft".

    My boss locked herself out of the office on Friday. She waited all weekend to tell me. I am the first person in the office on Monday but she will not give me my own key. Instead, she makes everyone wait. She told me on Monday morning that I have to drive entirely to another office unpaid and go get another set so she can get in. This is an office of 20 people and she picked me. No, I am not her personal assistant.
    via u/Icantcalmdwn
  • 03
    The distance was not far, however I was not compensated for this at all. When I told her this is considered wage theft today, she wrote in an email "Driving 100 feet to pick up keys is hardly wage theft.". Obviously, I wasn't compensated for my mileage and time and also it was 15 extra minutes added to my workday. Is she not out of line as I did her a favor?
    via u/Icantcalmdwn
  • 04

    Commenters came in with their opinions.

    casualAlarmist • 16h ago . Boss assigns you a task. You do task. You get paid. = wage Boss assigns you a task. You do task. You don't get paid. = Wage theft.
    via u/casualAlarmist
  • 05
    A young woman at work looks upset at her computer.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • 06
    . quast_64 • 16h ago "Since 15 minutes of my time is similar to none, my working days this week will be 15 minutes shorter. Since 15 minutes really doesn't warrant registration, I expect to see the full payout for this week on my payslip. "
    via u/quast_64
  • 07
    • blueapothecary 16h ago If it's only 100 ft, it shouldn't be a big deal for her to walk.
    via u/blueapothecary
  • 08
    Yeahl GotNuthin • 16h ago "Then you should have done it instead of me."
    via u/YeahlGotNuthin
  • 09
    Firekixiss • 17h ago She's absolutely out of line. Off-the-clock tasks are work, and refusing compensation is wage theft no matter how small.
    via u/Firekixiss
  • 10
    ElTupacabraXXX • 16h ago She had you drive a hundred feet to get keys instead of getting them herself? I bet she's a delight in every way. What an awful human being.
    via u/ElTupacabraXXX
  • 11
    Jeveran 16h ago • Submit an invoice to HR for your time and mileage. The 2025 standard mileage rates in the US, set by the IRS for calculating deductible costs, are 70 cents per mile for business purposes.
    via u/Jeveran
  • 12
    ScofieldReturns • 16h ago "It was not 100 feet and you think the labor board will agree with you?"
    via u/ScofieldReturns
  • 13
    . Krynn71 • 16h ago It is wage theft, without a doubt. Were you scheduled to come in at that time, or was this something she called you in to do on your free time? Idk if it's worth reporting to the labor board for a one-time
    via u/Krynn71
  • 14
    15 minute issue, but she showed you what she thinks your time is worth (nothing) so in the future if she asks you to do something in your personal time, I'd suggest you simply refuse.
    via u/Krynn71
  • 15
    . sleepydorian 16h ago lol wage theft isn't determined by the amount. $0.01 owed but not paid is wage theft. The only thing that changes is the punishment. If they can tell you where to be, when to be there, and what to do there, they must pay at least minimum wage, unless you are salaried, and thus getting paid the same amount every 2-4 weeks regardless of hours.
    via u/sleepydorian
  • 16
    Dexter_McThorpan · 16h ago If I am doing something for my boss, it's on the clock.
    via u/Dexter_McThorpan
  • 17
    datagirl60 16h ago • Plus, if you are not officially on the clock, you wouldn't get workman's comp if you got into an accident. Doing work for the company means they absorb the risks of doing business.
    via u/datagirl60
  • 18
    . percydaman • 16h ago If the circumstances were reversed, would she have considered it wage theft?
    via u/datagirl60
  • 19
    . Mr_Poodoo 16h ago Reply with actual mileage and the time it took.
    via u/Mr_Poodoo
  • 20
    hest29 16h ago . If the action is required for you to perform your work, it is to be paid.
    via u/hest29
  • 21
    Do... • . 16h ago Edited 5h ago HR here. If you are assigned a work *task, be it big or small, it needs to be done on the clock. If it's not work related then that means you have the choice to opt out. Time is money.
    via u/Downtown_Zebra_266
  • 22
    • Maybe Factor 16h ago If it's only "100 feet to pick up keys", why couldn't your boss simply walk and pick up the keys? Obviously it's not only 100 feet, and she wouldn't be paid for that time, so she made you go instead. I would have just left early that day.
    via u/Maybe_Factor
  • 23
    No-Wonder1139 • 16h ago So you going home that much earlier then?
    via u/No-Wonder1139
  • 24
    aeroxan • 16h ago . "let's see if the department of labor agrees with that statement". Also, you're paid by the hour, not by the feet driven (unless maybe you're a truck driver).
    via u/aeroxan
  • 25
    devil_trombone • 16h ago If you had to drive, they owe you for time worked and mileage on your vehicle. There's a federally mandated rate for that too. It's wage theft.
    via u/devil_trombone
  • 26
    LatinMister 15h ago . Your boss is making it clear that you work for free when she decides to give you tasks before work. Losing her key is irresponsible enough. She should have fixed the situation her herself as acting
    via u/LatinMister
  • 27
    manager. Delegating to you out side of normal.working hours was stupid of her. Expecting you to work for free is illegal. If your following her instructions your working and should get paid, regardless of distance or the time. If you are not paid, yes whe is stealing your wages.
    via u/LatinMister
  • 28
    Not to mention the liability of you using your personal vehicle on what is now company time foe company duties, opens the company up to lawsuits if you get in an accident.
    via u/LatinMister
  • 29
    If you dont want to make this the hill you n die on, at least document this because I doubt this is the first or last time you will be taken advantage of. When you get sick of this treatment and report your boss to the labor board have documentation to back everything up.
    via u/LatinMister

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work working workplace bad bosses
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