‘It would really help if you could knock this out before you leave’: Employee consistently gets assigned urgent work 5 minutes before he leaves and is left wondering if he is expected to accept it to be seen as a “team player”

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Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Aug 6, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

Do they do it on purpose?

Why does it have to be five minutes before leaving? The same way exes have a radar for when you're doing better, managers have a radar for when you're about to leave. It can be due to poor time management, or simply because they don't want you to have five minutes of freedom before you clock out; but the result is the same: you get a few involuntary extra hours, and they get some half-assed work done. 

The problem with this is that it happens in a work environment, so if you refuse to do the last-minute task and leave a bad impression on your boss, it can cost you something significant (your job, lol). So you truly have to find a really elegant, assertive way to address the topic and try to get your way.

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  • man rubbing his face in front of laptop
    via Vitaly Gariev

    The employee five minutes before leaving

    Representation

  • I've been at my company for about a year. Overall I like the job, the pay is decent, and my manager has always been friendly. The problem is that almost every week, usually on
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  • Thursdays or Fridays, I'll get a Teams message around 4:55 PM asking me to finish something "before tomorrow morning."
    via Mobile-Ad-7924
  • These aren't five-minute tasks. They often take one to three hours and usually require checking data from several departments. My official work hours end at 5:00 PM, and I have about
    via Mobile-Ad-7924
  • a 45-minute commute home. I also have evening responsibilities that make staying late difficult. The first few times I stayed because I wanted to make
    via Mobile-Ad-7924
  • a good impression. But now it has become an expectation. If I say I'll do it first thing the next morning, my manager responds with things like, "I was hoping to have this
    via Mobile-Ad-7924
  • tonight," or, "It would really help if you could knock this out before you leave." What's confusing is that these assignments don't seem to be true
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  • pile of papers
    via Alexander Grey

    Last-minute work piling up

    Representation

     

  • emergencies. Sometimes they're reports that won't even be reviewed until the following afternoon. It feels more like poor planning than an actual business need.
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  • Last week I finally said that I couldn't stay and would complete it first thing in the morning. My manager wasn't rode, but they
    via Mobile-Ad-7924
  • seemed disappointed and have been noticeably cooler toward me since then. Am I being unreasonable for expecting work assigned five minutes
    via Mobile-Ad-7924
  • before the end of the day to wait until the next morning, unless it's a genuine emergency? Or is this just something employees are expected to accept if they want to be seen as team players?
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  • man in black t shirt leaning over a sitting man
    via Compagnons

    The manager coming up with new work 5 minutes before leaving

    Subjects are models

  • I'd appreciate hearing from managers or people who've dealt with something similar.
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  • My approach to this would be to come up with alternatives instead of only pushing back. When you’re dealing with slightly manipulative bosses who are prone to ‘disappointment’, you should coat every ‘no’ with a great alternative, for example: Would it be ok if I work on this first thing in the morning so you have it by 2pm? In my opinion, you should NEVER call out their behaviour; only offer another option they cannot rationally reject. You know they need it by the following afternoon; you are offering to deliver it before the following afternoon- that’s it. If you call them out on their actions, you run the risk of ‘disappointing’ them even further - or of them getting defensive (and striking back). One can always find ways to keep a positive, proactive attitude and dodge toxicity (it’s a long, wild ride).

  • EmotionalBand6880 "I understand that you were hoping to have it tonight, but that's not going to be possible when you bring it to me 5 min before EOD. I'll work on this first thing in the morning."
    via EmotionalBand6880
  • PsyPup If it doesn't need to be done within the next few hours, it's not really urgent. IF it can wait till tomorrow, it waits till tomorrow.
    via PsyPup
  • LawyerDad1981 "... they seemed disappointed..." They've been disappointed before. They will again. It's part of life.
    via LawyerDad1981

  • I have to say there is always a chance of disappointing your boss, but if you disappoint them by doing the right thing and being polite, what are you going to do? In that case, it would be clear they were looking for a more exploitable employee, and I don’t think you want to be that; otherwise, you wouldn’t be having this issue.

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace work workplace toxic-work-environment
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