Instead Of Hiring A New Receptionist, The Company Split The Job Between 11 Workers And Called It “Shared Ownership”
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Nothing inspires corporate creativity quite like a company looking for new ways to squeeze more work out of its employees for free.
After a receptionist quit, one workplace skipped backfilling the role and instead split her full workload across eleven employees who still had their own jobs to finish.
Twice a week, one employee found himself answering doors, signing for deliveries, and fielding calls, all while never being formally trained or compensated for the work.
Then came the meeting where management proudly declared the “trial” such a success that the position would never be filled again.
You’ll want to keep reading for this one.
They deleted a whole job and turned it into a calendar invite for the rest of us
Our receptionist quit about a month ago and everyone assumed they were hiring another one.
But the reality was quite different.
Instead our operations manager made an Outlook calendar called “front desk coverage” and divided her entire job between 11 people.
This has led to a lot of extra work this employee never signed up for.
So twice a week I now spend two hours answering the door, signing for deliveries, transferring calls and dealing with random people who walk in.
This is, of course, in addition to all the employee’s usual duties.
I still have the exact same workload and deadlines from my actual job.
Most of the time there’s barely anything happening. During my turn I usually have a livestream open on one monitor or play games on my phone between the occasional call or delivery.
The employer was quick to pat themselves on the back about this.
Friday we had a meeting and management congratulated everyone because the “trial” went so well that they decided the receptionist position doesn’t need to be filled anymore.
The employee sees through the whole thing very easily.
Like yeah of course the trial went well. You had 11 people absorbing one person’s job on top of everything else.
They’re calling it “shared ownership.”
The audacity is just astounding.
What did Reddit have to say about this?
This user suggests a fairer arrangement for the extra work.
Why should this employer get exemplary work for free?
The writing could be on the wall for this company.
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These employees deserve at least a one-time bonus.
We all know companies aren’t the most ethical entities, but this is just a new low.
Turning a staffing gap into a permanent, unpaid rotation is one of those things that should be illegal but surprisingly isn’t.
It seems these days employees are forced to absorb whatever cruel invention comes their way for fear of losing their livelihoods.
“Shared ownership” is an interesting way of saying “taking advantage of your own employees.”
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