Some employers think they can get away with everything.

This woman had three months of maternity leave, but when she got back to work, her boss tried to reduce her work hours.

Her employer wanted her to resign, but since knows her rights, so was smart enough not to quit. She had a better idea!

Read the story below to find out what happened.

I pulled the ultimate check mate when my job tried to force me to quit for not returning to work a month after having my baby.

I worked 50+ hours a week managing the accounts and property for movie productions.

They were just small productions like Ridiculous 6, mostly Netflix productions.

I was hired as the director’s and accounting’s assistant.

I found out I was pregnant and notified them immediately, so we could be prepared when I went on maternity leave.

She went above and beyond for her company.

I went out of my way to make sure they were set by doing a lot of my work in advanced.

I completed closing up the account for the production on site and setting up the accounts for the new production arriving after my leave.

I also trained my temporary replacement.

She was more than a team player.

I didn’t just work up until I went into labor.

I went to work while in labor to work an 8-hour day tying up loose ends.

I broke my back for this company, often going in on days off or getting out long after my shift ended.

I used my car and gas with no compensation.

I took company calls outside of work and off the clock.

I was beyond a team player!

She made sure that the company was covered while she was on leave,

They were covered, and my replacement essentially just had to handle their basic request.

Like opening a locked door, adjusting the temperatures for their office, posting payments, opening mail, and answering phones.

I was the director’s assistant, but essentially I did the entire position because he always used the excuse of “working in the field” to stay home.

He was on salary.

Her leave wasn’t over yet, but the company was already asking her to return to work.

A month after my maternity leave, I was contacted by my employer asking me to return from maternity leave.

Note that I still had 2 months of leave left.

And the company doesn’t provide insurance for the time, so this was out of my pocket.

I stated I could not, as I had complications and medical procedures coming up.

They told her they would hire someone else if she wouldn’t go back.

I was told a few days later the amount of work that came up.

And my declining to return two months early left them no choice but to hire for my position.

I knew my right,  so I wasn’t worried and took the remainder of my leave.

She found out that her work hours were drastically reduced.

When I returned, they gave me only two four-hour shifts a week.

Work was 15 miles outside city limits, so I was essentially working for a babysitter and gas.

I complied because I was painfully aware they were trying to get me to quit, so they could avoid an unemployment insurance payout.

She thought of filing a case against them.

It was time to play checkmate, and at this point with my rights violated, I had the upper hand.

They were a small company and didn’t have a HR department.

They often outsourced questions to the company lawyer in California.

Because the laws were different by state and his speciality was not employment claims, the lawyers advising was very limited.

Her boss thought she’d quit, but she had other plans.

Well, they weren’t aware that cutting my hours, my employer just handed me the unemployment they were trying to avoid.

In New Mexico, if your employer cuts you from full time to part time hours, they are responsible for providing an insurance payout. This is to compensate the difference in wages temporarily.

I knew this wasn’t going to sit well with the arrogant director. He thought that cutting my hours was going to be the shove I needed to exit the company.

The director tried talking to her.

I patiently waited for them to receive my paperwork for my claim.

They did, and boy did the director let me know he was angry.

The state was considering my claim should there be no attesting by the company.

The director called me into his office, requesting that we discuss my job duties. He emphasized how little work we had coming in and how financially inconvenient it had to be for me. He was so sympathetic to my situation and the anguish as a single mother it must be causing me.

She told him she didn’t mind being there.

When I stated I didn’t mind, I was more than happy to be there.

My conditions of unemployment is I had to comply to my employer’s work schedule and duties.

I was showing him that I’m actively trying to be employed.

This didn’t sit well with him, and his manipulation wasn’t working as he planned.

He then turned serious as he casually mentioned my unemployment claim and proceeds to pull out my documents requesting a response.

He was trying to threaten her.

He tries to convince me that if I proceed with my claim and receive payment, and if got terminated, I would lose all source of income (unemployment and the company).

He was trying to threaten me.

I knew this is not true, so I called his bluff by informing him I wish to proceed.

He told me that if I resigned right then and there, he would provide a reference in the future moving forward.

I knew, however, that if you are terminated, you can’t use them as a reference depending on the circumstances of termination, but if he fired me, as long as I was complying, I would then receive the full amount of unemployment.

She was terminated and received her unemployment insurance.

At this point, he realized his tactics to intimidate me weren’t working and I wasn’t budging.

He tried to level with me and ask what was needed to get me to leave the company, and I simply stated, “Fire me.”

Shocked, he asked me if I’m sure that’s what I want, so I reassured him.

I walked out that afternoon with all my belongings and a letter of termination from my employer. I started receiving unemployment insurance the following week as he didn’t contest my payouts.

I had a new baby I was able to stay home with a year on my employers tab.

Whoa! That was some good thinking. She played that well!

Let’s hear what other people have to say on Reddit.

This user shares that what happened was a blessing in disguise.

This person shares a valid point.

Well done to you, says this person.

Here’s another meaningful comment.

Finally, this user likes the story.

Here’s proof that a mother’s instinct is really powerful.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.