Employee Fired After Refusing 20 Extra Hours of Work: ‘I Was the Sole Breadwinner’
Employee Fired After Refusing 20 Extra Hours of Work: 'I Was the Sole Breadwinner'
An employee was fired after refusing to take on 20 extra hours of work per week, sparking debate on Reddit’s antiwork subreddit. The individual, who remains unnamed, shared their experience of being dismissed from a mid-sized advertising firm after setting boundaries.
According to the post, the employee’s boss asked them to take on an additional project that would require 50% of their time. Already managing a full schedule, the employee expressed concerns about the workload. In response, the boss compared their hours to another worker who worked until 2 a.m., implying they should do the same.
“I told him I don’t want to be like this worker because she takes meetings until 2 a.m.,” the employee wrote. “She also likely makes triple my salary.”
A few days after the confrontation, the employee was called into a meeting with HR, signaling their termination.
“Once I saw the HR person, I knew it was over,” the employee said. “It felt especially greedy because the team I managed broke record revenue this year, much of it due to changes I made.”
Despite the layoff, the employee said they didn’t feel upset. “It feels like a giant weight off my shoulders. I also took a significant pay cut for this job,” they reflected.
The post has ignited a broader conversation about toxic work environments and the pressure on employees to overextend themselves, especially in a difficult job market. Many online have rallied in support, condemning the expectation of overwork without fair compensation.
