“10 Mins Of Awkward Silence”: Boss Regrets Being Mean To Best Employee, Asks Them To Reconsider Their Resignation
Interview With Author
While overtime pay can be a welcome benefit depending on the circumstances, many managers find ways to get workers to stay a lot longer than they are supposed to, through subtle or not-so-subtle manipulation, pressure, and false promises. But every once in a while, a clever employee might find a way to make them eat their words and escape with their job.
An internet user shared their experience with bosses who demanded more than they were willing to pay for but made the mistake of demanding precise compliance to time. We contacted Therealgloface and they were kind enough to answer some follow-up questions.
Unscrupulous managers will use psychological isolation to pressure employees into doing more
Image credits: seventyfourimages (not the actual photo)
An internet user shared the time they cleverly complied with a demanding bosses order
Image credits: Mizuno K (not the actual photo)
Image credits: therealgloface
Often, workers are pressured into working more than they actually signed up for
We wanted to know why Therealgloface had to stay so late on the job and they were happy to give some more details to Bored Panda. “It was my first job back then and I was dumb enough to be fooled into thinking staying late is a normal culture and that I will be rewarded for my dedication towards the company. He would constantly remind me that I would do it if I was “passionate” enough towards my work. Punishment would be in the form of passive-aggressive behavior toward those who are not “committed” towards the company.”
Unfortunately, this is the line of thinking many manipulative managers use, promising a carrot of rewards for extra work with the unspoken threat of being passed over if the worker refuses to comply. The old cliche is to refer to the company or organization as “a family,” with all the baggage that normally requires. However, it’s pretty uncommon for this feeling to be reciprocated, as these same managers feel no qualms about taking up all of the worker’s free time, generally without compensation. Those who have manipulative, demanding families are likely more familiar with these sorts of bosses than people who were fortunate enough to have kind, loving kin.
Many managers exploit the lack of projections to demand more from employees
We also wanted to know about the context this job was in, as many places actually have very restrictive laws regarding what a worker can be asked to do and what they can be fired for. So we asked Therealgloface if their experience was typical. “Yes, it is very normal. Especially with small family-run companies. Overtime is only guaranteed by law for certain non-exempt positions and up to a certain salary cap (like technicians and laborers). That job (even though it doesn’t pay very well) doesn’t qualify according for overtime pay protection based on the law and this boss only offers the bare minimum within the law.”
This, unfortunately, is a pretty typical experience, as most managers will exploit any gap in worker protection. The reality is that labor laws need to be overhauled, enforced, and expanded, as it’s impossible to rely on the “goodness” of a boss’s heart. Their job is to generate a profit, the employee is the means. Without adequate regulations, these sorts of stories become all too common.
OP shared some other details in the comments
Some readers gave their own examples of demanding managers and praised OP for their interpretation of the order
It wasn't until my old manager left that I realised what an awful manager they were. I used to arrive an hour early to avoid heavy traffic and start work, I asked to leave early one day and was told that I couldn't, I pointed out I always did an hours work before my official start time and was told that my choice. I stopped. The worst was my my I was told I had to find a Nursing Home for my Mum, she had Alzheimer, I was denied special leave as her primary carer to find one so I phoned in sick.
Companies love this one sided commitment. But no more freebies from me. My employer gets nothing I'm not paid for. No extras without extra. I do work hard and deliver really great work. But I make sure that everything I do is documented and seen. My boss knows that whenever they ask me favours, it'll be a tit for tat situation and I'll expect compensation in some form. I already got a raise to accept more responsibility and we're already talked about more. Fact is, just working hard gets you nowhere. You need to work hard and talk about it and use it as bargaining chip. And you need to be very cutthroat about it too. Yes, 'I will gladly rework the database, no problem. But it's not in my job description and so let me do about 30% and then we'll talk about a title change with the accomodating raise if you please. Oh, maybe next year? Ok, That's fine for me, then I'll start reworking that database next year boss. See ya.'
The problem is that if you're on salary you have no say. There is no 'demanding overtime' if you're on salary. And the only option to NOT be put on salary is to not take a promotion. So if you do that, you get stuck for 5 years making the same amount. And it's almost all companies that do this. It forces you to go on salary but the salaried pay never makes up for the amount of time you are working over the scheduled hours. It's why you should really take time considering taking any job in a managerial position.
It doesn't works that way everywhere. Under South African labour law, as a permanent salaried employee, you work 8 hours a day and earn your monthly salary. If you work more than that, you get paid overtime. Usually 1.5x your "hourly rate" or 2x on a Sunday. The only "catch" is that you can't work overtime without being asked to by an employer, and then demand to get paid overtime – it only counts when they ask you to work overtime. There are exceptions, like if your annual salary is over a certain threshold you don't qualify for overtime, and in retail, employers often get around it by having employees work longer hours per day but still no more than 40 hours per week.
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It wasn't until my old manager left that I realised what an awful manager they were. I used to arrive an hour early to avoid heavy traffic and start work, I asked to leave early one day and was told that I couldn't, I pointed out I always did an hours work before my official start time and was told that my choice. I stopped. The worst was my my I was told I had to find a Nursing Home for my Mum, she had Alzheimer, I was denied special leave as her primary carer to find one so I phoned in sick.
Companies love this one sided commitment. But no more freebies from me. My employer gets nothing I'm not paid for. No extras without extra. I do work hard and deliver really great work. But I make sure that everything I do is documented and seen. My boss knows that whenever they ask me favours, it'll be a tit for tat situation and I'll expect compensation in some form. I already got a raise to accept more responsibility and we're already talked about more. Fact is, just working hard gets you nowhere. You need to work hard and talk about it and use it as bargaining chip. And you need to be very cutthroat about it too. Yes, 'I will gladly rework the database, no problem. But it's not in my job description and so let me do about 30% and then we'll talk about a title change with the accomodating raise if you please. Oh, maybe next year? Ok, That's fine for me, then I'll start reworking that database next year boss. See ya.'
The problem is that if you're on salary you have no say. There is no 'demanding overtime' if you're on salary. And the only option to NOT be put on salary is to not take a promotion. So if you do that, you get stuck for 5 years making the same amount. And it's almost all companies that do this. It forces you to go on salary but the salaried pay never makes up for the amount of time you are working over the scheduled hours. It's why you should really take time considering taking any job in a managerial position.
It doesn't works that way everywhere. Under South African labour law, as a permanent salaried employee, you work 8 hours a day and earn your monthly salary. If you work more than that, you get paid overtime. Usually 1.5x your "hourly rate" or 2x on a Sunday. The only "catch" is that you can't work overtime without being asked to by an employer, and then demand to get paid overtime – it only counts when they ask you to work overtime. There are exceptions, like if your annual salary is over a certain threshold you don't qualify for overtime, and in retail, employers often get around it by having employees work longer hours per day but still no more than 40 hours per week.
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