Employee quits after 2 years of staying on Zoom call with manager 8 hours a day every day at work: 'Never accept a job under these conditions'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Sep 17, 2026 9:45 AM EDT

Why did he feel the need to always be watching?

While few jobs are ever going to be totally supervision-free, one of the supposed benefits of working remotely is that an employee has a little more freedom with how they approach their workday. So long as they get done what they need to get done and look suitably productive to management, they can enjoy the peace and quiet of not having a nosy colleague breathing down their neck (and maybe put on a load of laundry between meetings, too).

This is also a big reason that many companies don't like to let their employees work from home. They want as much control as possible over what they are doing, and that is a lot more difficult when they aren't all coming into the office. 

Still, in this modern world we're living in, more flexible working arrangements are the future. Even the more traditional parts of the corporate world have to make some concessions. However, these usually happen with specific terms and conditions attached. They don't want their workers to get too relaxed or forget that they should be switched on and contributing to their job at all possible times.

 

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  • A laptop, mug, and phone sitting on a wooden table.
    via Mushaboom Studio (Unsplash+)

    A laptop, mug, and phone sitting on a wooden table. Stock photography for depiction only.

  • An employee had finally had enough of their job after two years because they were constantly being monitored. It was a small company, and they worked fully remotely. The director insisted on taking a Zoom call with them every single workday, for the whole day. They were never left to their own devices.

    They felt that their productivity was suffering because of this, and they also never felt comfortable while at work. Even those who work in the office don't usually deal with this level of monitoring.

  • I’ve been on a Zoom call all day, every day, for nearly 2 years

    Hi guys, I've been working at my current company for nearly 2 years now, and I'm quitting next month. It's a small, fully remote company, and the reason I'm quitting is because of the working conditions.
    via Lewis_l28
  • I'm writing this as a warning: Never accept a job under these conditions. I work remotely, but I'm expected to be on a Zoom call from the start to the end of the working day, every day, 5 days a week. Literally all day.
    via Lewis_l28
  • I accepted the job without really knowing what it would be like because I had never worked from home before. I'm on mute pretty much all day. It's normally a 1-to-1 call between me and the director of the company. We have an intern who occasionally joins us, but for around 95% of the time I've worked here, it has just been me and the director on the call.
    via Lewis_l28

  • The director was a constant prescence.

    You can take breaks and mute your microphone, but the director, who is always on the call, never mutes his microphone. This means I can hear absolutely everything going on around him throughout the entire day.
    via Lewis_l28
  • From a productivity perspective, this is awful. I can hardly get anything done, as you can imagine. Having someone effectively sitting in a call with you for the entire working day makes it incredibly difficult to concentrate and work normally. If any company tries to hire you on these terms, RUN. I can't wait to quit. ☑
    via Lewis_l28
  • A screen showing a man and a woman on a Zoom call together.
    via visual

    A screen showing a man and a woman on a Zoom call together. Featured likenesses do not identify those mentioned.
     

  • There was no getting away from him.

    Kuildeous Did you guys actually talk to each other for 8 hours, or was this just him watching you work? That director sounds weird.
    via Kuildeous
  • btw_fkbryanshupe Me looking up panopticon on glassdoor
    via btw_fkbryanshupe
  • Adorable_Ad4990 Are you the only employee? And can you just turn your sound down? I'd ask him to message me or have a light or signal or something, bc I'd never be able to concentrate with someone about to interrupt at any second
    via Adorable_Ad4990

  • It seemed like their only job was to be watched.

    propaul1 So what is your actual job? Do you do anything at all or just sit on a call and listen all day long and do nothing else?
    via propaul1
  • Worth-Yam-9057 What was the point of this exactly? Just to watch you all day?? I quit one that put a camera in my office and would randomly call to say I was doing xyz. This seems worst.
    via Worth-Yam-9057
  • FreddyWilliams45 dude this isn't you quitting this is you divorcing that dude!
    via FreddyWilliams45

  • It was worth a discussion at least.

    Ferrally_Polite Have you even tried to discuss this? Sounds like he's trying to emulate being in an office together. Have you turned your volume down and said hey, Imk if you need me, my volumes down to minimize distractions (?)
    via Ferrally_Polite
  • I'd much rather do this than work in an office. Idc who is on my screen bc I'm literally at my desk, in work clothes, working.
    via Ferrally_Polite
  • Negrom Being on Zoom all day is wild behavior. I work remote and sometimes don't even talk to my manager/director for multiple days.
    via Negrom

  • It was enough to drive someone mad.

    msurbrow This sounds insane Have you talked to the director about it and how it impacts your productivity
    via msurbrow
  • spastical-mackerel Surprise, you've been on a Japanese game show the entire time.
    via spastical-mackerel
  • SnooCalculations7417 dont quit just create an ai likeness that attends these for you while you find another job.
    via SnooCalculations7417

  • They needed to replace themselves.

    ARasool Record a video of you working for 1/2 hour. Use OBS to stream that video on loop. Do whatever you want for that time.
    via ARasool

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zoom call work stories bad bosses remote work
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