$18/hr worker takes on the job of 3 people with zero pay increase: 'I haven't seen a raise in two years, and holiday bonuses were slashed'

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Oct 9, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

When you're doing someone else's job, should you get compensated for it?

Working a new job can be a stressful thing. You may not know how to advocate for yourself until it's too late. In my experience, when you start a new job, it can take a while before you're fully comfortable there. You don't always know what you're getting into until you're a couple of weeks in, and by then it can feel too late to change anything. Dealing with your managers can be a complicated thing. You want to make a good impression, but you don't want to let yourself be walked over. You want to give your all to your job, but you also want to protect your peace. This can be a very difficult line to walk. But you have to be on guard for situations where you might be taken advantage of. In these moments, nobody will stand up for you except for you. You have to be vigilant and make sure you're getting everything you need out of a given agreement.

NY - Paid $18/hr, forced to take on multiple people's workloads and manual labor with zero extra pay.Last year I covered 3 people's work for a month. Is this legal?

Location: New York. Hello, I'm looking for some advice regarding my current employment situation. I work an hourly office job making $18/hour. Recently, a coworker went on maternity leave, and I was forced to take on all of her workload plus my own. On top of that, I am expected to do manual

labor, such as sorting and counting small parts in a warehouse-like setup. To make matters worse, this is a recurring pattern. Last year, another coworker went on sick leave, so I had to cover for her. Then, right after that, yet another coworker went on medical leave

for a full month, leaving me to handle the workload of three people simultaneously. Despite doing the job of multiple people, I only received my standard base pay-not a single extra cent of compensation for the massive increase in responsibilities. I haven't seen a raise in two years, and holiday bonuses were slashed.

In New York, can an employer legally force an hourly worker to take on a completely different job scope (manual labor/warehouse tasks) and multiple people's workloads while only paying their standard hourly rate with no extra compensation? What are my rights here? Is there any recourse, or is my only option to find a new job?

Commenters agreed that this was a tough situation.

Regular-Ad1814 You are paid per hour. If they want you to cover 3 people's roles go at your standard pace and you will just get 1/3 of 3 people's jobs done. If the company wants more. than that they can pay you overtime. NEVER speed up to cover additional workload. That workload then becomes expected!

Odds are, you probably want to keep the job you're in. You want it to be your decision when and if you leave, and you don't want to be forced out by something outside of your control. And when push comes to shove, you want to remember to be honest. Honesty is always the best policy on most occasions. People value transparency because if you know exactly what is going on, you're less likely to be upset about it. Nobody likes feeling duped. Especially in the workplace, it makes us feel like we've been taken advantage of because someone thinks they know better than we do. It's an insult to our intelligence and our self-respect. But if you leave everything out in the open, then you can never truly go wrong, especially in the workplace. This worker was feeling fed up about their situation and wanted a little bit of advice on it. So they turned to the internet for a little bit of guidance, which it provided for them. Keep reading to see what happened here and see what you think.

kyle1234513 yes. unless you have a rigid employment contract outlining job duties they can make you do anything thats. not illegal for the duration of you being on the clock. "other duties as assigned" is ah I of a clause.

if you have a contract outlining duties without that clause it would be different, if they break contract you can sue in court for breach of contract + damages. this is usually the case with union contracts, allowing them the liberty to say no back to their employer. if you have no contract at all, yet still work there, s k it up or get a new job.

EnigmaGuy If you're paid hourly you probably don't have any "rights" to fall back onto unless they're trying to get you to do something that violates health or safety regulations.

You can voice your concerns but generally most job postings, especially those in the service/retail/warehouse/ma nufacturing industries have a line item along the lines of "Support other tasks as the need arises" - A.K.A. you're paid by the hour so if we need someone scrubbing toilets today you might turn into one of their star janitorial employees.

That said, as others have stated, just because they want you to cover the tasks of the three different employees, does not mean you have to work 3x as fast to make sure all the said tasks get done. I learned a long time ago that if you're a honest and

hardworking personality type that the only reward you generally get is having. to help with others workloads that are slacking off. Not saying to turn into the slacker type worker, but work at a "reasonable" pace and do the best job you can for the work you do get done.

If the tasks start to fall behind and it is obviously a manpower shortage issue that is managements job to address not the overworked hourly employees.

Ok_Nectarine1801 Just do a sh job at all 4 jobs easy. I would really f up other peoples job and just say sorry that is not my normal job.

the-truthseeker I'm trying to say this nicely, but you're a New Yorker, you're f ed. You are a hourly individual who is in an at-will state and local area in this case, City, that has not mentioned any

collective Union or private. entity that has a contractual agreement with a company that could exempt you, nor are you salaried to have things that would fall under said Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

While technically you could tell your superiors and even HR that this is falling outside of your job duties, they have the ability to remove you at will or even claim that you are not meeting the requirements of your general colleagues and are

removing you for not keeping up standards whether or not this is considered firing for cause or not. Short of them not paying you overtime, they could get away with this however, they want!

ChefCurry YumYum Work your hours, do what you can, take your breaks, go home at the end of your shift. You don't have to bust your because they can't staff a right.

*An overworked employee sits at her desk*
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*A female office worker rubs her shoulders at her desk*

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