Imagine working for a company where you have to work overtime, but you don’t get paid for it. Instead, you can take time off in exchange for working overtime. Would you be okay with this setup, or would you prefer to get paid?

In this story, one woman is in this exact situation, and she’s not all that happy about it. However, she uses the policy to her advantage.

Keep reading for all the details.

No overtime in County job, but required to work more than 40 hrs.

Back in 2000 I was working a County job that did not pay any overtime. We were required to be on call 24/7 about every 6 weeks. I also worked evenings one night a week.

We could use flex time (with pre-approval) or get comp time at time and a half. Comp time off had to be requested 3 days in advance.

Everything was on paper back then and we turned in signed time cards ahead of time that only showed 40 hr work weeks and Comp was on a separate paper.

I always thought this was crap and would have opted to get paid overtime if this was an option.

But the Comp time ended up really working in her favor.

I was pregnant with my third child and wanted to be able to take at least 6 paid weeks off after the baby was born.

I had accrued 140 hours of comp before anyone in the main office took notice (my direct supervisor knew what I was doing).

I was able to take 6 weeks off with Comp, vacation and some sick leave. I was able to have some sick time left over just in case.

The County changed the policy after that and only allowed employees to accrue a max of 40 hrs. comp.

I’m glad she was able to use the time off and that her supervisor supported her.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

Here’s how maternity leave works in Canada…

A mom shares how she handled it when her baby was born.

I wouldn’t exactly put it this way.

I really wish things were different for mothers in the US.

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.