Overworked employee gets tired of his boss making him work after hours every single day, so he reaches out to HR and sends all the proof of the unfair workload: 'An email was sent to the whole company saying Mark was "pursuing other opportunities"'

Author image for María Cetra
María Cetra • Writer
Aug 26, 2026 10:30 AM EDT

Sometimes HR is actually on the employee side, and that should be celebrated!

Having a horrible boss that uses their employee to do the work that this person doesn't want to do is actually extremely common. Unfortunately, corporate life can be awful sometimes. Is great to have a steady salary, benefits, PTO, even coffee at your disposal during your whole shift. But there is a horrible thing on the downside. Like having a boss who takes advantage of you to do things that he doesn't want to do, like the one from the story below.

Sometimes we feel as if we are exaggerating something that we feel. When you are a student, you tend to think that a teacher hates you, didn't you? Well, that also happens in corporate life. Is not uncommon to believe that your boss hates you. This could be true, and then you would have an awful boss. Or maybe you are exaggerating and thinking too much about someone who barely knows how you are. This dichotomy is actually what sometimes makes us not speak up during something unfair. The fear of making a big deal over something that was actually nothing.

My genuine advice for this kind of situation? If you feel like something unfair is happening and you are being taken advantage of by someone in a higher position than you. Reevaluate the situation, watch it from another angle. Make sure that is what's happening and not some kind of confusion. If you bring to HR a situation that is actually a misunderstanding (or could be seen as one), then you are putting your job on the line. But if you are sure, speak up. Maybe you are lucky like this person and can get it all figured out for the better. 

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  • 01

    Some bosses do not deserve the position they have and the power that comes from it.

    If you read the title quickly, you'll probably feel like I was exaggerating. But honestly, it had been building up for a while. I had been working at the company for almost three years. My manager, Mark, had a habit of dumping extra tasks on me right before I logged off. Always after 6. And always marked "urgent." At first, I thought that was normal and just how things worked there, but after a while, I understood the game. No one else on my team was getting last- minute messages. Just me. One n
    via Old_Proposal_7095
  • 02
    A stressed employee getting overworked by his boss. Stock photography for depiction only.
    via Tim Gouw

    A stressed employee getting overworked by his boss. 

    Stock photography for depiction only. 

  • 03

    Revenge is a dish better served cold! Isn't it?

    online to finish a client summary he had somehow "forgotten" to send in the morning. I had plans. I told him I couldn't. That's when his tone changed, and he made a comment about how being a team player would "matter when decisions are made." That was the moment I started digging through my inbox. I found weeks and weeks of those "urgent" requests. Many of them didn't need to be done that same night. And a few of them even conflicted with timelines he had given to other people. Then I remembered
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  • 04

    Nothing better than finally being free of a boss like that.

    are stored on the internal server. So I did what any burned-out employee would do. I sent the entire chain to HR along with a calm question: "Hi, I wanted to ask for clarification. I seem to be getting far more after- hours assignments than others in my role. Is this the expected process?" For about two weeks, nothing happened. Then Mark asked me to come into his office. He looked like he hadn't slept. HR had reviewed the emails, looked at workload distribution, and found that the issue was bigg
    via Old_Proposal_7095
  • 05

    That "closing the laptop at 5:30 PM" was probably the best sensation from the whole year. It's so good that he's finally free. Now he deserves his manager's position, doesn't he?

    than a scheduling problem. It turned out Mark had been dumping parts of his own work on me, then submitting the finished work as if it were his. About ten days later, an email was sent to the whole company saying Mark was "pursuing other opportunities." I closed my laptop at exactly 5:30 PM that day.
    via Old_Proposal_7095
  • 06
    The employee is tired from all of the extra work. Not actual story subjects.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    The employee is tired from all of the extra work. 

    Not actual story subjects. 

  • 07
    Jedi-Serenity2021 You handled that well, this internet stranger is proud of you
    via Jedi-Serenity2021
  • 08
    PeyredB Well played! Your question to HR was perfect, btw. Not whining, not saying I'm being persecuted, but asking if the attached is normal.
    via PeyredB
  • 09
    imddirt What did he say to you when he asked you to come to his office?
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  • 10

    YES! That is the best ending possible!

    yogfthagen Maybe you want his position?
    via Old_Proposal_7095
  • 11
    superfitwife Well done
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  • 12

    Haha! It's a good thing they did!

    r2d3x9 Surprised that hr bothered to read a large email chain
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  • 13
    Number32-Shark Drake I'm glad you did that. I wish I had the guts to stand up for myself during my first job, where I would stay for hours after work everyday to finish tasks because customers were promised unrealistic deadlines.
    via Old_Proposal_7095
  • 14
    ajmampm99 HR is generally not your friend. Usually they blame you instead of management. Your manager must have already been on their radar.
    via Old_Proposal_7095
  • 15
    mtcrick Goes to show the importance of documentation!!!!
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  • 16
    Head_Razzmatazz7174 "Pursuing other opportunities.' Chances are good he was either told to leave now or be fired. I highly suspect the latter.
    via Old_Proposal_7095

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hr revenge overworked-employees After Hours
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