If everyone you worked with was willing to work overtime without getting paid during a particularly busy season of the year, would you be willing to do the same thing, or would you insist on leaving work on time?

In this story, one woman is in this exact situation, and she refuses to work late.

Let’s read the whole story.

AITA for leaving work on time when everyone are else still working?

This bothers me every year and every time when this happens, it makes me wonder a little if I(Female, early 30s, single) am the AH.

You see, festival season is here – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Lunar New year etc and as a gifting company we are busier than usual during this period.

The routine would be for our department to stay back after work to help the packing department to pack gifts, because we have mountains of gifts to pack, all labeled differently with different level of care and things can get very confusing and unorganized.

This isn’t compulsory nor paid, we “voluntarily” show up, that’s how it is.

She refuses to work unpaid overtime.

I would usually do maybe 1-2 times and then leave on time, not willing to spend more doing free work.

My colleagues from my own department and the packing department would also give me dirty looks whenever I do that, because it means 1 less helper and that they would go home later, and I am the only one who constantly do that.

I don’t usually care much because I stand firm on the point that I work for how much I am paid for, even if they hate me for it it isn’t my fault.

Another employee couldn’t stay late.

Yesterday it happened again, only this time one of my department lady asked me to stay because she couldn’t, she needed to bring her children somewhere.

I told her that since it’s voluntary work, she could leave as soon as we are off duty.

She then told me that if she did, everyone else would have to stay back later and that would be her fault.

I told her again she was free to leave, just like me, and I left anyway.

The woman chose work over her kids.

I came to work today with the same dirty looks from my colleagues, and one of them came up to me and told me that because of my selfishness, everyone, including the lady who wanted to leave, had to stay back until 8pm.

The lady broke her promise to bring her children to see the glass Christmas tree display somewhere as it was very late. If I had stayed they could probably have finished it much earlier, and I wouldn’t do it because I wanted to go home and enjoy my evening alone with my dogs.

I did tell the lady that she was free to go if she really wanted to, nobody was forcing her to stay. If she had anyone to blame then blame the management for not hiring more part-timers during busy periods, or herself for putting work over children.

Packing gifts for another department is not my job nor am I paid for the evening hours doing it, so why should I stay? I have avoided doing this for the past few years and I am still hired, so this isn’t against any company rules. AITA?

What is with these employees? Why are they so brainwashed into thinking they have to work late even though they’re not getting paid for it?

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

The other lady really could’ve left.

It is weird that everyone else stays.

I agree that the coworkers are angry at the wrong person.

Another person knows this situation all too well.

Her coworker’s decision to choose work over her kids is not her fault.

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.