We're here with another rendition of "Am I the Asshole" — a popular subreddit where users ask if they're jerks for how they handled certain situations. Today we are talking jobs.
Our story is told by u/freeefinally — a person who was hired for a salaried position that "hyped up the work/life balance."
After being initially told that the company wouldn't expect people to stay late or work on the weekends, holidays, etc., u/freeefinally's boss started blowing up their personal phone — when, yes, they had a work phone — on nights and weekends asking them to work.
However, their boss then called them out saying they leave their work phone at their desk over the weekends, and he needs to have a way to reach them outside of 9 to 5 hours. "I said that I'm not glued to any phone on the weekend, so if he needs me to take a call on the weekend, he could make a meeting request and put it on my calendar so I know to be available."
Their boss then said that wouldn't work because "things come up last minute" and that he's not calling for a meeting; he's calling for people to actually come into work.
After explaining that they have commitments and need at least three weeks in advance notice to work on weekends, they went back to ignoring their boss's calls.
But now their coworkers are frustrated, saying that coming in on weekends is part of the job, and they're not pulling their weight. "I said that I don't know what job they signed on for, but in my job interview I was promised regular hours and took my pay based on regular hours, so I'm working regular hours."
When it comes to the discussion of if u/freeefinally is really an asshole or not, most people said they are NOT the asshole.
"Not the asshole. As you said, you signed on for the salary and hours implied. You owe nothing outside of that."
"If shit isn't getting handled during the workweek, then that's on the people slacking off. The only time I ever came in on my days off was when I was in the military and literally ordered to."
"You work the hours you are paid for. Your coworkers lack of boundaries is their issue."
But people did warn that they could be fired at any moment because of this whole situation.
"Be prepared to be fired soon. Your coworkers and boss are going to be looking for any reason to get you in trouble and, if you are on probation, expect to be let go. Good on you standing your ground and shame on the company for lying to you about the job."
And a lot of people said it is the manager's fault that so many employees are having to work on the weekends.
"Is it legal where you are to harass people at home out of hours like this without a formal on-call system? It sounds to me like it's the manager who should be looking for a new job since they are the person who is incapable of getting the work organized without ruining the team's work/life balance. I hope the staff is at least paid to deal with this mess."
One person even shared their experience with over-working to show just how much of an effect it can have on you mentally and physically.
"I was 'unofficially' on-call 24/7 since I was the backup of the backup for all IT. This was on top of working on multiple projects, last-minute 'urgent' requests, and dumpster fires.
I did this for over five years and even got a few free drinks/shots in my local punk bar when they would see me answer a call and then pull out my laptop.
I burnt out HARD, and it took a long time to recover physically and mentally.
Now I work core hours, and only a handful of people have my personal phone number.
If you are in the US, sign up for a Google Voice number to use on CVs and the like. You can get a text translation of any voicemails and also can enable/disable numbers for free.
Also, if your work gives you a phone, more than likely is managed by an IT-controlled MDM. This system normally is set up to log a shitload of stuff and has an audit trail. This is why your boss is calling your personal number — so his boss, HR, and legal can't see the calls/messages out of hours if there is a dispute."