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Last-minute projects get harder when overtime suddenly becomes a disciplinary issue.

After a new manager bans extra hours and even calls them “time theft,” one employee starts leaving exactly on schedule.

That works fine until a potentially multimillion-dollar project lands right as the workday ends.

See why one saved email becomes very useful during an unexpected HR meeting.

No overtime, no problem

Been working at this job for some years when I got a new manager.

A month or so into her working there, she came into my office and told me I wasn’t allowed to work overtime anymore, and if I had any issues, we could discuss them.

She said it sounded like she was expecting this to really hurt me.

I sent an email to confirm our conversation, and her response basically said, “Correct, no more time theft!”

I didn’t really like that accusation.

I usually stayed a little late, 30 minutes at most, to finish up projects.

A lot of projects came in at the last minute, and other managers were thankful for my help. So I quit staying to finish projects and wouldn’t start a new one if there wasn’t enough time.

Not long after, she wanted him to stay late, but he refused.

There were no real issues, but some projects began falling through the cracks. I let the other managers know my manager told me no more overtime, and I’m just following orders.

Fast-forward barely a month, and as I’m leaving for the day, she rushes to me asking if I can work on—you guessed it—a last-minute project. It’s potentially worth millions!

I explained how I’ve got plans, and I’m not about to be a thief.

The next day was too quiet. In the afternoon, I got a request to have a meeting with my manager and HR.

Usually, you get a written complaint beforehand, so I’m still a little off guard. I could at least be a little prepared.

She really tried to tear him down at the meeting with HR.

At the meeting, my manager reads off grievances like it’s an intervention. She frames it as if I have antisocial behavioral issues, am insubordinate, and don’t go the extra mile.

If you let her keep going, I wouldn’t be surprised if I were somehow to blame for the company not reaching its goals.

When she finally finished (she had to have started writing the night before and into the next day), I asked if it was okay if I had my say. I pointed out a lot was just her opinion and I’m overall well liked. I always do exactly what she says.

However, my manager likes to constantly move projects around while I’m working on them, and I’m not allowed overtime.

She denies ever saying this, so I forward the email to HR. My manager then starts backtracking, saying she didn’t mean it permanently.

They basically took his side.

HR takes me off the call a bit. When they come back, it’s just HR, and I start by saying I’m not signing anything.

They tell me, “Let’s agree to disagree.” This has been one big miscommunication, and they appreciate all the work I do. I asked to confirm if this was going to be held against me in any way, and they said no.

They went on to say that if I can stay late sometimes, great, but it’s also okay that I leave after my 8 hours.

My manager later quit in less than a year.

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Yikes! Dealing with managers like her is the worst.

Let’s see how the fine folks over at Reddit relate to this story.

This is a valid point.

Here’s someone whose company allows lots of overtime.

Sometimes, it’s best not to know.

Great rule.

OP followed the no-overtime rule exactly, then produced the manager’s own email when she later denied ever making it permanent.

HR dropped the complaints, confirmed eight hours was enough, and the manager eventually left the company within the year.

Calling overtime theft worked great until management needed someone to steal a few more minutes.

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Author

Chris Allen