For some bosses, being present means more than showing up and doing your job.

So, what would you do if you always finished things ahead of schedule, yet still got side-eye for stepping away from your desk for a few moments?

Would you ignore it? Or would you wonder if pushing back was a better idea?

In the following story, one employee finds themselves in this situation at their job.

Here’s how it all happened.

Starting to feel like my job expects “availability” more than actual work

Lately, I’ve noticed my manager cares way less about what I get done and way more about whether I’m reachable every second of the day.

I can finish everything ahead of schedule, but if I step away for 15 minutes, suddenly I’m “not aligned with team expectations.”

It’s wild how the work itself barely matters compared to performing a constant online presence.

At this point, he’s tired of it.

It’s getting to the point where I feel glued to my chair just so no one thinks I’m slacking, even though the actual workload doesn’t require anywhere near that level of monitoring.

It’s like the job you know has quietly shifted from “do your tasks” to “prove you’re always here,” and there’s no conversation about how draining that is.

Is this just becoming the new normal, or is it worth pushing back before it gets worse?

Eek! It’s easy to see why he feels this way.

Let’s see what the people at Reddit think he should do in this situation.

According to this comment, many companies do this.

This person has given up on their job.

Interesting thoughts.

For this person, they can’t evaluate his work and don’t like it.

He should be entitled to breaks, but aside from that, it’s probably not worth fighting back.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.