Executive Tells Employee They Can’t Work on Other Projects and Should Work for the Company for Free on Their Days Off

Some bosses treat free time like it belongs to the company, and that is exactly where this story goes off the rails. One employee on Reddit said management took issue with a weekend side gig, even though it had nothing to do with the person’s regular job. The demand did not stop there, and the situation quickly turned into a clash over personal boundaries, unpaid labor, and a job that suddenly felt a lot less reasonable.

That pushback ended up changing everything, and the fallout was fast.

An employee recently mentioned how they left their job because management exhibited complete disregard for their personal time.

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"If you have free time..."

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OP told management that the side gig is none of their business since it's done on their time off.

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And he was right...

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But management thought that their time off should be spent working for the company instead of for others.

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Which didn't sit right with OP.

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So OP resigned. Management tried to convince them to stay...

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But OP quickly found a new job.

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It pays slightly less, but they have a lot more free time.

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OP posted an update.

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OP couldn't name the company because they like taking things to court.

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OP concluded:

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The story received over 36.9K upvotes and dozens of comments from individuals who praised the author's decision. Many Redditors began publicly criticizing entitled bosses and managers who believe they have the right to abuse their staff in this manner.

Many commenters said the same thing in different ways, the company was out of line.

This is the same kind of office conflict as the coworker who skipped a concert and then expected a split OT pay.

Your employer does not own you.

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You will never find a job like this one... Such a cliché.

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Some people actually want to spend time with their families, you know...

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Mining town logic - best comparison ever.

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We all need a vacation...

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They won’t last for very long...

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Free time is your time only. Your employers can’t touch it.

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And nothing more...

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Does resemble it...

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Your loss. There are plenty of people out there willing to work 24/7 for us.

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Sadly, employers are yet to learn about the distinction between work hours and free time. Just because you are paying someone’s salary doesn’t mean you own them.

“We are all family here” and “We want you to grow with our company” are just euphemisms for overworking. Things have to change.

Nobody should have to donate their weekends to a paycheck.

For another boundary fight, see what happened when a friend kept calling after work hours in this AITA about after-work time.