Stubborn HR training lands grocery store employee some extra cash: ‘My time is my time, and I'm getting paid for it’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Feb 4, 2026 1:00 PM EST

Sometimes, the rules set forth by the powers that be benefit you more than you'd think.

Human resources requires all employees to participate in some form of training throughout the year. If you're a member of management, you might have to take part in some kind of leadership training, possibly with an emphasis on something they believe is one of your shortcomings. For subordinates, they're expected to take part in regular harassment training, as most places require a yearly refresher on the office rules. Training sessions are grueling a lot of the time, especially when it's clear that the company that created the learning modules we use likely didn't do their homework. So, we're usually learning things we already know. Can you even call that learning?

No, probably not. Even still, we're expected to participate because, if we don't, we risk losing our jobs. The only kind of mobility most companies want is upward mobility, even if that means that you're doing ten times more work for the same pay.

Sometimes, though, you cash out on some extra coin because of a rule change or an extra training session that went on for too long. Scroll below to read about a story that features a scenario exactly like this.

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  • a grocery store aisle filled with food with an image of a man overlayed
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • "HR training leads to me getting paid extra."

    Another post reminded me of this story, and I thought I'd share. I work for a major grocery chain.
    via SethAndBeans
  • For the most part they're locked in on following labor laws properly, but every once in a while they don't know what they're talking about.
    via SethAndBeans
  • Before this job, I had been GM of a high volume brewpub and before that I was GM of a 14 screen cinema, so I also know labor laws pretty well, as both my previous jobs were drowning in employee relations.
    via SethAndBeans
  • A while back we had a mandatory training for leadership about proper call-out procedures for our teams.
    via SethAndBeans
  • In the training our regional HR asked all the department managers, "What do you do if they text you?" I said, "Ignore the text." HR said, "no, you need to tell them to call out on our call- out line.
    via SethAndBeans
  • Let them know they need to leave their name, employee ID, and their shift." I said, "do I have to?" HR: "Yes" Me: "okay, but would you email us this information after the class?" They did.
    via SethAndBeans
  • About three months later I had a new employee somehow get my phone number (which bothered me, but that's another story) and text me that they couldn't make it in the next day.
    via SethAndBeans
  • I text back. "Call the call-out line. Leave your name, employee ID, and shift." The next day when I was at work I put in a timekeeper request for an hour of labor.
    via SethAndBeans
  • This also happened on a Wednesday in a week where Wednesday was my only day off.
    via SethAndBeans
  • Where I live, if you work even a single minute off the clock, the company is obligated to pay you for that hour.
    via SethAndBeans
  • In addition, because I was scheduled 6 days already, that counted as another day of work.
    via SethAndBeans
  • So my entire Sunday shift was time and a half as it was seven days in a row during the full Mon-Sun work week.
    via SethAndBeans
  • About a week later I was called into HR to discuss what they claimed was me ab ng the system and they wanted to write me up for it because that one text message resulted in $200 of extra money on my paycheck ($40/hr wage, so 8 hours at time and a half is $160 plus the $40 on Wednesday.) I let them know they were the ones who told me to work on my time off and that of they wanted to punish me for it they could see me in court and they'd pay a h I of a lot more.
    via SethAndBeans

  • Here's the thing about black-and-white rules: you can't look for a gray area when things don't go your way. Upper management clearly regretted their push for a new call-out system because it resulted in more money leaving their pockets, and we all know that can't happen. But, bending the rules because of this makes for a very unreliable management team, and in that same vein, they make themselves look like they don't know how to stick to their word. What is a manager without reliability? Just another employee with an extra few bucks hourly, I'd say. Keep reading to see what happens with the employee's cash.

  • I then reminded them of the email they sent telling us in detail what we were to do if an employee texted us to call out.
    via SethAndBeans
  • I told them that I value my work life balance, and even a minute of work is still work, and I expect to be paid for each moment of work i do.
    via SethAndBeans
  • casual man looking at the camera
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • They said, "okay, I'll have to call the director of HR and discuss this. But we will get back to you." They never got back to me.
    via SethAndBeans
  • But my paycheck was straight for the period and a week later they sent out a followup email telling leadership to let their teams know they weren't to text the managers off the clock, and that if an issue arise they could call the store and the store could decide if it was important enough to contact us on our days off.
    via SethAndBeans
  • My time is my time, and I'm getting paid for it. Thankfully, for them at least, they never tried to retaliate over it.
    via SethAndBeans
  • Sad for me as I wasn't bluffing when I said I'm not afraid to talk to a lawyer...
    via SethAndBeans
  • would've been a good payout.
    via SethAndBeans

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workplace-stories employee malicious compliance human resources justice served training
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