It’s funny how many managers don’t see how their own rules can be used against them, but it’s so satisfying when they do.

Check out this worker cashing in at work.

Want me to punch in on the work clock, fine now deal with overtime pay

I started working for my uncle two years ago. He has a company with some business partners of his. My work is now being directly under him, learning every perk of running the business and also being a personal assistant to him.

We settled on a contract in which I’d receive a fixed monthly amount with a bonus of an additional salary by the end of every year, and while I had no overtime pay, I had total control of my work schedule. By total I meant TOTAL, where I could come to the job just 3 days a week as long as I delivered results.

Then things started to fall apart.

Work was running great until September last year when my uncle took a couple days to travel to another state to meet new clients and one of his associates (let’s call him Gordon) took his role in the company for a those days to support some of his roles.

Due to having worked a 14 hour shift the day before the travel, and also having 2 12 hour shifts the week before I was dead tired, and since we had little to no work piled up i took a early leave the first day he was there and arrived way after lunch the day after, then started working normally from the 3rd day until he came back a week later.

He was furious at my “attitude,” berating my uncle for even contracting me in the first place since i don’t even work full regular hours and demand among the other business partners (the company has in total 6 owners including my uncle), that I at least punch in my working hours and if i don’t meet the “quota,” those would be deducted from my monthly payment.

There’s a ton of labor laws were I live. Employees have a certain amount of hours required to work each month, every hour short of that is deducted from the monthly payment, and every hour beyond is paid as overtime.

Other partners backed up Gordon’s claim. stating that I needed more supervision on what I was doing, which my uncle was forced to comply with. His only remark was “Since we’re doing it by law, it means that we also will pay him overtime according to the law, right?” They all agreed and from October forward I would start punching my hours on the job everyday.

So she made it work in her favor.

That was exactly what i did. Gordon was expecting a decrease on my pay due to being in the company at my least busy week since I arrived, when in fact i usually pull a bunch of overtime.

Also, if they need to call me after I left they have to punch in the hours from the moment I left until the I finish the call, resulting in “free” overtime pay.

By law, the rate of overtime pay increases the more overtime is done in a month, is a really weird formula, but to simplify my average overtime hours pays 1/3 higher than the average overtime hours of other employees that have the same monthly salary as me.

My monthly income is now 30% higher due to the overtime I started receiving and in a busy month that could get even close to 50% higher even though I am actually working a little less than before.

Gordon can’t go back in the same situation as before, since my uncle made sure that once I started punching my hours there was no going back, and all partners approved.

Here is what people are saying.

No. A thank you note is for unnecessary niceness. This was justice.

LOL Gordon is a good car name.

I hope she aims higher than just getting paid.

I agree. Aim higher, people.

Thinking things through is not his strong suit.

Please find another job.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.