Company demands employees come into work on the weekend to help move the entire office, offer pizza as a reward in place of overtime: 'Manager said that nobody is being “forced” but they’ll remember who helped when performance reviews come around'

Pizza as a currency?

Moving and pizza are two things that go hand in hand. But normally, this transactional relationship of pizza as a currency is limited to friends and family members. Other acceptable forms of payment in these arrangements can involve any combination of food and a 6-, 12-, or 24-pack of your choice of cold beverage… depending on the time and effort contributed.

But when it comes to doing a "favor" for your employer, well, there's already a (hopefully) well-defined arrangement there. 

When it comes to your employers paying you in pizza like you're close friends or family, it doesn't help at all, either, that there are already other cultural implications associated with employers and pizza. As you're probably well aware, employers offering their employees pizza to smooth over unpopular workplace policies and deal with plummeting morale has become somewhat of a meme in recent years. It has, thus, become synonymous with and a symbol of toxic workplace culture.

My Experience

At several points during my own employment and through acquaintances I've experienced, encountered, or heard tell about these types of things.

I've seen employers asking staff to help with tasks and manual labor. Things like helping the business move to a new location, or helping paint a new retail store, which I imagine are not all that uncommon. But when your job is more or less “operate retail store,” there is at least the argument that some general maintenance and probably some labor might be part of your job description. And when the work is on site.

But when the work is entirely unrelated to your job description, after hours, or involves going off site, I think it becomes an entirely different argument. Things like, say, having an office worker come in on the weekend to act as a free moving service.

I think more than once I've attended a weekend event for an employer or to help with seasonal work, and not been offered any sort of compensation. But that pales in comparison to stories I've heard about employers having staff working for companies that see a seasonal boom and bust in their workload that have employees work on their own privately owned residences and rental properties in the offseason. Things like having staff painting, building decks, and even roofing in an effort to keep "idle hands" working.

Now that's crazy.

The Situation

In the original thread that sparked the initial discussion on this issue, the employee shared how the company they work for is moving its office two floors down and wants employees to contribute their weekend to helping out. Two days carrying the office's chairs, boxes, and even small furniture down the office building's staircase in order to save on professional movers.

This was described as a “voluntary team effort,” which is why the employer is apparently offering pizza in place of actual monetary compensation. Normally, this type of volunteer offer is presented by toxic employers with a nudge and a wink to go along with it, along with the strong implication that it is a ”volunteer-or-else" type of situation. But this volunteer opportunity came with more than an implied threat, as one of the managers directly said that they would “remember” who helped out when performance reviews roll around.

Frustrated and not eager to donate their weekends to their employer, the employee shared their experience with this online workplace community, detailing their thoughts on the matter. Others shared their thoughts in response, which sparked debate on the issue.

Show, don't tell

"The funniest part is we're a company that constantly talks about respecting people's personal time."

This is one part of the story I wanted to highlight. The irony and the hypocrisy on display of the organization outwardly portraying itself as one that respects employees' personal time.

Organizations, like people, do this all the time. Calling attention to the thing that we are keenly aware that we don't do, or lack. It's basically the psychological phenomenon of "reaction formation," which occurs when a person feels that they possess a trait that they find unacceptable. They'll subconsciously try to mask it by exaggerating the opposite traits or behavior, ironically highlighting the flaw without realizing it.

It's like that age-old adage of writing advice that you should "Show, don't tell" in your writing to better land the effect that you are going for. And in real life too, you need to show people that you are something, and not tell them that you are. As soon as you tell someone that you "are" something, you've already failed. And the more you attempt to explain it, the less they're going to believe that you are that thing. 

So, when it comes to organizations wanting their employees to think they treat them well. Don't say "We're a family here," hoping it might somehow become true. Treat people like they are family, instead.

The Employee's Account of Events

Keep reading to see the employee's original account of events, followed by some of the key discussion.

My company is asking us to come in on a weekend to move the entire office instead of hiring movers

Story/FunCheap4076

Our office is moving two floors down in the same building next month.

Management sent an email saying they want everyone to come in during the weekend and help move monitors, chairs, boxes and small furniture so the company can “keep relocation costs reasonable.”

They’re calling it a team effort. No overtime, no extra day off. Just pizza afterward.

Manager said that nobody is being “forced” but they’ll remember who helped when performance reviews come around.

I’m already giving them five days of my week. I’m not donating the rest because they don’t want to pay movers.

The funniest part is we’re a company that constantly talks about respecting people’s personal time.