Boss demands electrician apprentice, who makes $15 an hour, work for free to pay off mistake

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  via Karolina Grabowska

  Electrician twists a wire coming out of a wall. 

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

• Apprentice (me) made mistake, boss wants me to work Fridays unpaid to pay it off

  
  via pizzaroll22
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  via pizzaroll22
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  via pizzaroll22
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  via pizzaroll22
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  via Getty Images

  Electrician ponders if he should quit job after boss insists he work for free. 

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

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  via pizzaroll22
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  via pizzaroll22
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  via pizzaroll22
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  via pizzaroll22
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  via pizzaroll22

• It's a real shame that this boss couldn't take the blame himself. A good boss would, in fact, do that! 

  He would realize that his worker is young, just starting off in his field. This worker really shouldn't be blamed for anything yet, in the same way that interns largely work under practice conditions. Ideally, working in a trade like this, you want to learn from a boss who sees potential in you. Your boss should be willing to take the blame when they've messed up, even when that mistake is due to not preparing their workers well enough. 

  The fact that this person slipped on a 2x4 and fell backward should also be a warning sign, no? Most workplaces like this take safety measures extremely seriously. OSHA compliance is #1 in their book! 

  So these are just a few red flags that we can see sprinkled throughout this tale. Let's see what observations other people had after absorbing this electrician's assistant's tale. 

• People had some excellent advice, starting with this golden nugget

  
  via pizzaroll22

  Don't ever work for free, okay? 

  If someone really values your work, they will pay you to do it. I think a lot of us fall for this when we're young and don't know any better. We think that if someone is giving us the chance to work for them, even without pay, that they're seeing our worth. But that is just the opposite. If someone has you work for free, they're viewing you as immediately disposable. They're not investing in you or cheering you on. They're just using you. 

• Others noted that this is just not how anything works!

  
  via ithinarine

• Get him good!

  
  via sparkytothemoon

• We've barely even touched on this detail

  
  via Charazardlvl101

  But yes. The bossman is giving this worker the "opportunity" to come fix up his own house. I just can't even fathom the levels of audaciousness that are going on at this workplace. 

• What's to stop the boss from requesting freebies with every single little mistake?

  
  via Stormblessed404
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  via Stormblessed404
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• Experienced workers would never stand for this type of treatment

  
  via CraigMammalton14
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  via Getty Images

  Electrician smiles while at work.

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

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