Fast-food worker wakes up to 11 missed calls from her boss asking her to come in 1 hour early: 'This was all at 9 AM!'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Apr 17, 2026 8:30 PM EDT

Nobody should call someone 11 times unless there is an actual emergency. 

If you've been in the workforce long enough, you've probably worked with an employer who thinks that every small thing is a matter of life and death. If you show up a minute late, the whole store is going to go under, even though those minutes would've been spent clocking in and getting set up anyway. If someone takes too long in the bathroom, they are "stealing time" from the company, and their bathroom breaks must be limited. They freak out over the smallest issue, as if they're trying to make their employees as neurotic as possible. If you're able to keep your cool with a manager who can't handle minor inconveniences, my hat goes off to you.

Working an hourly position with no consistent schedule means that you're probably going to get a call or two from your boss asking you to come in and cover someone else's shift. Depending on your priorities, this can be a tough question to answer. If you need the money, you might say yes to every request and quickly become the go-to coverage for anyone who wants to sleep in late and skip work. That's fine if you don't have any kind of social life, but most young people working in fast food restaurants do, so they might choose to decline an extra shift if it means canceling their hangout with their friends. The employee in this story didn't even get the chance to choose whether she'd cover her coworker's shift, because her boss called her when she was fast asleep!

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  • Woman in bed using smartphone in dim light
    via Fellipe Ditadi (Unsplash+)

    A young fast-food employee checks her phone after waking up to find that her boss has called her 10+ times throughout the night.

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

  • I woke up to 11 missed calls from work this morning.

    I woke up this morning to 10 missed calls from my job, and 1 missed call from someone's personal phone number who works there. Then she messaged me from her number all to ask me to come in 1 hour early! This was all at 9am btw! This is my first job
    via u/ILOVEFAIRYTAIL123
  • but this seems insane. I'm not sure if this happens alot but I felt uncomfortable especially when calling back she answered so casually like it was normal to do that. I don't even know if I've seen. her (I don't know many of my coworkers names) but I checked
    via u/ILOVEFAIRYTAIL123
  • the schedule and her name is there for just one day, just one hour. So I'm really confused right now. Update: Told my boss and he said "you need to answer" so! Update 2: One of my managers did in fact also not care.
    via u/ILOVEFAIRYTAIL123
  • Solid_Mongoose_3269 Unless you're on call, just say "my phone was off after non-working hours" Get a google voice number if they dont give you a work phone
    via u/Solid_Mongoose_3269
  • Left-Star2240 I had to do that once. My district manager would send out group texts. We were open 7 days a week, and they would usually come through on my day off. My phone was chiming as 20 other managers responded. I opened a Google Voice account and said that was my new phone number. They were angry because it didn't accept group texts, and that they had to either send one to me separately or call the store.
    via u/Left-Star2240
  • Ozerospace0 It's not abnormal for your job to call you once (even twice is amenable) to have you come in. 11 calls is too many. AND the calls should be coming from your manager. Your manager should not be sharing your personal phone number with everyone without your permission. That just seems unprofessional too.
    via u/Ozerospace0
  • ILOVEFAIRYTAIL123 OP All our numbers are on a wall in the managers office, but even then why is a coworker doing this, it feels very weird
    via u/ILOVEFAIRYTAIL123
  • No_Gap_2341 Coworker probably wanted you to work for them or make sure there was coverage in time for their break or lunch. 10 missed calls from the same person/people is ridiculous in almost any circumstance. Especially this one. You may want to keep your eye out for a different job. This one doesn't seem to be run very well.
    via u/No_Gap_2341
  • No_Swordfish5011 Boundaries...set them
    via u/No_Swordfish5011
  • benz0709 Since this is your first job I'm guessing you're young and this is a restaurant or retail. This is normal in that industry because if someone calls out their shift has to be replaced or others juggle schedules like coming in early, unfortunately. In the professional world being on salary instead of hourly it's not as common because there isn't a having to cover shifts mentality. If someone calls out, they call out, no need to replace their shift, their work is there for them when they c
    via u/benz0709
  • Others saying things like get a Google number if they don't give you a work phone must have missed this part, not necessary for what most likely a teenager working in service industry.
    via u/benz0709
  • GAELICATSOUL At 3 calls within an issue there had better be an emergency. Poor planning or shift changes aren't that. A break in could qualify, or the shift leader was taken to hos and now no one can lock up the store
    via u/GAELICATSOUL
  • Outrageous-Bee4035 Maybe I'm missing it, but I don't see where it says what your job is. What kind of job is it and what is your role?
    via u/Outrageous-Bee4035
  • ILOVEFAIRYTAIL123 OP Fast food; customer service and cleaning
    via u/ILOVEFAIRYTAIL123
  • Restaurant staff in red aprons working in a kitchen
    via Fabio Sasso

    Fast food workers getting meals ready for customers.

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

  • Sea-Environment2612 Back when I worked at Taco Bell many years ago, I fully turned my phone off when I went to bed (DnD wasn't a thing yet). One of my managers HATED it because she couldn't ever get ahold of me to call me in early. She tried to tell me I had to have my phone on at night. I told her flat out that I don't get paid for that, so no I don't. I answer when I answer
    via u/Sea-Environment2612
  • Man sleeping in bed in a modern beautiful bedroom
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A Taco Bell employee sleeps through the endless calls from his manager in the middle of the night.

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

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missed calls boss work fast food manager phone morning food service early sleeping
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