Long working hours and after-office calls have become a common complaint for many employees. While some workers accept extra work during busy periods, problems often begin when overtime becomes unpaid and starts affecting personal time. One such experience shared by an employee on Reddit has now gone viral, with many users discussing unhealthy workplace expectations and the importance of setting boundaries.

The employee, who posted on Reddit, explained that his official working hours were from 9 am to 6.30 pm. During a busy season, his manager asked him to stay back for an extra hour every day. The employee agreed, but soon found himself leaving the office only around 8 pm throughout the week.

Emergency ignored despite extended work hours

The situation became more stressful when the employee had an emergency and informed the manager that he would need to leave by 7.30 pm. However, according to the post, the manager was attending another meeting with the CEO and was reading messages without replying.

The employee wrote that he kept sending messages on Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp and even tried calling, but received no response. By then, it was already 7.45 pm.

To make matters worse, the company held a meeting with the CEO after regular office hours. "I don't understand that if he wants to give us a lecture, then he could have give before the working hr ends. Right?" the employee wrote.

Asked to work on Saturday without a laptop

After finally leaving the office at 8 pm, the employee received another message from the manager asking him to send pending documents that same night. The worker replied that the task would be completed on Monday, but the manager insisted it had to be submitted on Saturday morning.

The employee responded that he did not even have his office laptop with him.

The pressure did not stop there. The manager continued calling, but instead of answering, the employee switched the phone to airplane mode.

"I don't know what to do about this. I am thinking I will lose my job. They are expecting me to work as a robot without giving free time," the employee wrote.

In an update added later, the employee also revealed, "Note-I won't get paid for the extra hrs I worked."

One update changed everything

After receiving hundreds of reactions, the original poster later shared a brief but significant update. "Edit- guyzz I resigned," the employee wrote.

That single update drew fresh attention to the discussion, with many users saying leaving was the right decision if the workplace had become unreasonable.

The post received a flood of responses from other Reddit users, many of whom encouraged the employee to start searching for another job while keeping records of workplace communication.

One person commented, "Sad, start looking for other jobs. If you love your job, then try to find a way and be as clear as you can; tell them that I would rather do any work late than do it badly... For future purposes, document everything that your manager says, even on WhatsApp or calls."

Another user suggested relying on formal communication instead of messaging apps, writing, "Pretty much document your communication with her; WhatsApp may be deemed informal, so hopefully emails work and use that as your defence. If they wreak havoc, you are better off somewhere else."

The employee later added that this was not an isolated incident. He claimed he had once returned to the office after already reaching his paying guest accommodation because he was called back for a meeting with the CEO. According to the post, a senior employee questioned why he had left after office hours, leaving him frustrated over what he felt was unrealistic expectations.