IT Helpdesk manager emails demanding staff arrive 15 minutes early to login and be ready to take calls "1 second before" their shift, staff comply and hang up on customers the second their shift ends: 'Sorry to interrupt you, my shift is over. Goodbye'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jun 27, 2026 10:30 AM EDT

A hospital IT helpdesk worker follows a manager's written instructions to the letter, after staff are expected to arrive early and work unpaid just to load the company's software and be ready when their shift officially begins.

The topic was discussed when an IT helpdesk worker shared a work experience they had in a viral thread. 

In the large hospital they worked in, they were expected to be ready to answer calls the instant each shift began. The problem was that logging in to the hospital's computers and seven different applications took 10 to 15 minutes, forcing staff to arrive early every day if they wanted to meet management's expectations.

As technology improves, work changes. We become more productive, more efficient, and less tied to repetitive tasks. You might think that this would mean that we would be able to work less for more and all get by in better shape, with more time to spend on our own pursuits and aspirations and with our loved ones. 

But that same technology drives home the double-edged sword: the more oversight it gains over every modicum of work, every login, every status indicator, every mouse movement and click, every second of availability. 

It's not enough that productivity has risen by somewhere between 80% and over 100% since 1986. Or that skilled labor earns less comparatively, not just to the equivalent of the time, but even less than less skilled jobs. It's a little bit disheartening to realize that in the 1980s, a factory worker without a college degree possessed significantly higher buying power than a college-educated worker does today. Next time your parents tell you about how hard they worked when they were your age, remind them of these facts.

To top this all off, simply working harder, for more often, for less buying power isn't enough… There has been erosion of the quality of our working life at all ends of the spectrum.

We are, quite simply, exhausted and have little time or energy for our own families, let alone our pursuits and dreams. We are tired, we're underappreciated, and we still have our bosses breathing down our necks demanding more from us. And for what? Even more?

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  • 01
    A worker smiles while hanging up on a customer
    via Getty Images

    A worker smiles while hanging up on a customer as acted by a model for illustrative purposes.

  • 02
    Just complying with your written expectations and directions, boss. I was replying to another post, and realised I have a malicious compliance story here that should be shared on this sub. I was working at an IT helpdesk at a large hospital quite some time ago. We were expected to be at our desks, logged in, ready to take our first call by the start time of our shift. It took about 10-15 minutes to log in, load up and login to 7 different
    via speddie23
  • 03
    programs, all with different passwords. So really, you needed to be there 15 minutes early. They were shared computers, sometimes you could get away with just locking it and leaving everything logged in and running until your next shift, but if someone else restarts it in the meantime, you had to log in to everything again. It was a constant pain point for us that was frequently raised, especially as for example, when medical staff need to scrub up and scrub down, this is all during their shift
    via speddie23

    This IT guy worked on the IT helpdesk of a large hospital where employees were expected to answer calls the moment their shift began. Logging into several separate systems took between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning staff effectively had to arrive early every day without being paid for that time. After repeated complaints, management responded with a detailed email demanding employees be available one second before their shift and remain available until one second after it ended. 

  • 04
    "Hi all, It seems we are still having lots of issues around our shift times. I want to clarify my expectations. If you are on a 7am to 4pm shift, I expect you to be here, logged in, ready to go, and your status on the phone queue as 'available' or 'on a call' at 6:59:59am. If you want to make a coffee, fill your water bottle, or put your lunch in the fridge, this needs to all be done before 7am, not after. At the end of the shift, I expect you to be 'available' or 'on a call' until 4:00:01pm. On
    via speddie23
  • 05
    If you are going to be stuck in traffic, have trouble finding parking, or miss your bus, you'll need to manage your time better and leave earlier. Thanks" So for a while, I comply, and am always 'available' or 'on a call' at exactly 1 second before my start time, just waiting for my moment. And it happens. I get a call a with a splash less than 2 minutes left on my shift and take the call.
    via speddie23
  • 06
    I get about as far as their name, where they are, and halfway through them describing their issue, I see the clock hit 1 second over my shift time. I say "sorry to interrupt you, my shift is over. Goodbye", hang up, log off and go home. Of course they complain and my manager pulls me into his office, asking me to explain why I did what I did.
    via speddie23

    The IT worker complied. When a new phone call arrived just before the end of the shift, he answered it, waited until one second after the shift officially ended, then politely informed the caller that the shift was over, hung up, logged out, and went home. When questioned by the manager, the IT guy quoted the manager's own written instructions back to them.

  • 07
    I explain: "Well I was 'available' on the phone until about (2 minutes before the end of my shift time). I answered the call, putting my status to 'on a call' until 1 second past my shift time, so I logged off" They replied: "No, if you are on a call, you need to finish that call first"
    via speddie23
  • 08
    To which I reply: "Your email says we are expected to be 'available' or 'on a call' 1 second before our shift time, which I have been. It also says we are expected to be 'available' or 'on a call' until 1 second past our shift time, and only then may we log off I am simply following your expectations and written directions"
    via speddie23
  • 09
    Of course this was a very CLM (career limiting move) but at this point I already had my foot half way out the door. _gadget_girl Career limiting yes, personally satisfying also yes. tsian It will never cease to amaze me that there are so many places that somehow expect getting the equipment necessary for work ready is not work time...ugh.
    via speddie23
  • 10
    Staff work in a call center
    via Getty Images

    Staff work in a call center as posed by models.

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