Imagine your first real job in your chosen career field. Would you work your set hours, or would you work extra hard, even working overtime, to prove how hard you can work?

In this story, one employee is in this situation, and they often work overtime. Then, everything changes when the boss criticizes the employee.

Keep reading for the whole story.

5 mins late is inexcusable?

This was from my first job in a family run SME where the husband was the director and the wife was the GM.

It was a very toxic workplace and I am very thankful I left the job 5 years ago now.

I dreaded every single day at that company.

OP was a very hard worker.

As it was my first job, naturally I tried to work harder and worked late into the night (without any OT compensation) very often.

A little bit of a background: I am not a morning person but I don’t mind working late usually.

One time we were working on a project and I was trying to prepare everything ahead of time. My official working hours were 9 to 6 but I usually find myself getting dinner and going home around 11+.

Those few days, I started to report for work a little late, about 5 to 10 mins past 9 and my boss (the director) called me into the room and gave me flak for it.

Time to stop working so hard.

Cue the malicious compliance.

If the working hours meant so much to him, I should adhere to it STRICTLY.

From that day onwards, I stopped staying late past office hours and worked strictly from 9 to 6.

He clearly notices it because he called me into his room for a chat a week later and told me he noticed I’ve been going home “early” recently.

But that clearly wasn’t what was really happening.

I told him I’ve just been on time.

He couldn’t do anything to me because I’ve been delivering results.

The day I threw in my resignation letter I he called me into the office for an awkward conversation

Here’s how the conversation went…

Boss: Have a seat. Fiddles with resignation letter on his desk

Me: Sits down with a very happy expression

10 mins of awkward silence

Boss: So there’s nothing I can do to make you stay?

It was a simple answer.

Me: Nope.

10 mins of awkward silence

Boss: Just know that if you want to come back to this company anytime, we will have the door open for you.

Me: Okay.

10 mins of awkward silence

Boss: That is all.

The boss doesn’t sound like the talkative type. That certainly sounds like an awkward meeting. Why all the silence?

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

It’s really not fair.

This person worked a lot of overtime.

Another person can relate to this story.

Apparently, silence is a power move.

The boss has no power when you resign.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.