He Worked Hard to Balance School and Work—Then His Manager Ignored the One Request That Mattered
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Bad managers love ultimatums until an employee follows the wording more literally than expected.
One cinema worker requests a weekend off for coursework, but when his boss says “come in or find another job,” would you argue or simply obey?
That threat leaves the student heading straight to work with a very specific interpretation of what “come in” actually requires.
Let’s take a look how it all went down.
“Come in, or find another job”
Far too long ago I(m) worked a student job at a cinema under the most obnoxious location manager (m) I had ever met.
We’ll call him Bob.
I worked front of house, got along well with people etc etc etc.
Here’s how the schedule worked.
The schedule went up each week, two weeks in advance, and quite often you might find yourself on unfavourable shifts, or sometimes no shifts at all.
We all negotiated amongst ourselves for shift swaps, updated management and all went well.
Except when I had a coursework deadline.
I made it clear weeks in advance that I needed the weekend off to finish, planning ahead and very aware of the work I had left.
This sounds like a great manager.
The relevant schedule goes up and, lo and behold, I’m booked for the Saturday shift.
I tried to shift swap but nobody was biting, so I went up to my direct manager (f) and Bob, told them the situation and she said she would handle it.
Then I had no shifts until the problematic day.
Bob clearly didn’t get the memo.
Cue two weeks later and I’m under pressure to get coursework done.
Bob phones. He’s never called me before, so I instantly know what this is about.”
“Why you (sic) not in today?”
“I told [manager] weeks ago I wasn’t available. I’m working on a deadline.”
“You’re on shift. Come in, or find another job.”
He technically complied.
Well, darn. Better do what he says, I need the money.
So I got ready and headed to the cinema.
I walked in there, went right up to him on the floor and said “You told me to come in, I came in. Now I’m leaving.”
He couldn’t say a word, I just turned and left.
Kept the job for another six months too, until I found something more convenient with better pay.
That’s funny! I’m surprised Bob let him walk back out so easily though.
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Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.
This person expected a different ending.
A retired high school teacher weighs in.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who ends up quitting over a dispute over bereavement leave.
This person liked what he did.
The student had warned management weeks earlier that he needed the day for coursework, but his boss still demanded he report for duty.
He walked into the cinema, confirmed that he had technically “come in,” then immediately turned around and left.
Even better, coworkers greeted him with high fives later, and he kept the job another six months before finding something better.
The manager demanded attendance, and somehow got the world’s most efficient cameo appearance instead.
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