Workplace encourages workers to be available 24/7, creating an unsustainable workplace culture: 'If you miss a message, they act like you personally sabotaged the company, I’m paid for 40 hours, not 168'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Dec 28, 2025 12:00 PM EST

I think it stands to reason that you should be paid for any time that you are working. Forget laws, case-studies, and jurisdictions. Employment generally operates on a simple basis: Money for time. This is the simple foundation of any employment relationship.

Of course, when you're paid a salary, it's basically saying that your pay for a certain period of time (say, a week or a month) covers the entirety of your time spent and production during that period. But there are reasonable bounds and limits to this, in both directions.

Flexibility is essential, and flexibility begets flexibility (how many times have I written that?) I've often found that the willingness to be flexible in my work has been both rewarding. Sure, there might be some periods where you work more or work less or leave early or stay late, it's all about balance. 

But as you need to be able to switch on, you also need to be able to unplug. Working with calculated, methodical effort is better for productivity. But once you're done with your work within that properly defined period or productive time, you need to be able to switch off, put everything behind you, and focus on other pursuits. 

Just as calculated strokes are excellent for sharpening a blade and holding an edge against the whetstone is the most surefire way to dull it. Companies that force their staff to always be effectively on call are hurting their productivity by constantly exposing them to that same metaphorical whetstone. 

This worker found themselves at their employer's beck and call 24/7. This always-on culture seeps into every corner of their employers' expectations, leaving them and all their coworkers with little to no work-life balance.

It's almost as if this is some "business hack" or something that has been sold to unscrupulous business owners in a cheap business manual as it seems to be something that is used almost as a weapon to keep workers in line and see who is really dedicated to the cause. 

If your workplace requires you to log on at any time, within reason, you should probably be paid for it; if they're setting unrealistic expectations, they should be paying you for those expectations.

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  • A man works at his computer at a coffee shop at a luxurious remote location
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  • "My job “requires” 24/7 availability now... But somehow doesn’t require paying me for it"

    I've been at my job for a few years and it used to be pretty normal clock in, - do the work, clock out.
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  • Makes sense. No drama. Honestly, Then out of nowhere management decided we all need to be "reachable at all times." Not on-call, not paid, not compensated in any way.
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  • Just... Reachable. I think Nights, weekends, vacations, whatever. If you miss a message, they act like you personally sabotaged the company.
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  • The wild part is that nothing we do is remotely urgent. Nobody's life is on the line.
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  • If something sits until Monday, literally nothing happens. But they've started texting me on Saturdays asking for "quick favors" and then getting snippy when I say I'm out with family and won't be opening my laptop.
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  • Today I got pulled into a meeting about my "responsiveness trend," and I swear I almost laughed.
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  • There's no emergency, no raise, no bonus, and definitly no contract that says I owe them my free time - just expectations they made up.
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  • I'm honestly hitting that point where I'm questioning why I should bend at all. I'm paid for 40 hours, not 168.
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  • Anyone else deal with a company suddenly deciding your entire life is theirs to schedule?
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  • Swimming_Frame2653 I won't even respond to a text off the clock. They can suck it.
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  • cheap_dates Been there. Buh bye. Read up on Frances Perkins and why she ushered in the 40 hour work week.
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  • [deleted] Ignore it. The trick is to pretend you are a workhorse but only do tasks during your regular hours. I've done this for years without consequences.
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  • Sesoru If you aren't being paid salary then you don't need to do anything outside the hours you paid. It does not matter what they say. If they try and push it, call the labor board and force an investigation. It may take months for that to process, but they'll get in trouble hopefully when labor board does their stuff.
    via throwawayjaaay
  • Then-Junket-2172 I do that for snowplowing and the moment the call saying we will pick u up in 3 hours, my shift starts. The want me to login at the job site but that's not happening
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  • lamdacore-2020 Does your contract clearly stipulate your working hours and the hours you are to work per week? Does it have provisions for changes your company is now trying to enforce? There could be a disconnect between your manager and HR here. If there is no such thing then you can tell them you are not contractually obligated to do so. And "quick favour" by definition is just that...they are favours that if done then great else it should not be a metric of measurement of your performance. K
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  • Guilty Raise8212 It's hard for me to comprehend how such companies exist or how employees agree to participate in this bullshitfuckery. I would make it a matter of principle to fight this nonsense, with a smiling grin on my face, spend weekends preparing every conversation, log, message for a lawsuit to come
    via throwawayjaaay
  • MacyGrey5215 Start submitting time sheets for those. Include the labor board's number at the bottom.
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  • BlackStarBlues Check the labour laws in your state or province. If your employer is in breach of the law with regard to on-call pay, contact the dept. of labour for that jurisdiction with your complaint. Make sure you have details of company communications on the matter including the initial request for being reachable at all times without added compensation, the dates & times they've called you, etc. Based on what I've read in other posts, for the love of heaven do not tell your employer that y
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  • MuchDevelopment7084 I'd just give them a blank stare. And let their calls go to voicemail. Not respond to texts, emails, etc; after hours. If they're not compensating you for being on call. I wouldn't be on call. That's wage theft.
    via throwawayjaaay

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workplace discussion employment issues jobs employees Horrible Bosses workplace story employment
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