Pexels/Reddit

Nothing divides a workplace faster than a rule everyone hates and nobody wrote.

A sample worker at Costco that lesson the hard way when his third-party employer introduced a tight new clock-out policy and told staff to leave on the dot, finished or not.

He did exactly that and told his coworkers to do the same.

But instead of complying, a group of older women on the team had a different idea. They brushed him off, suggested instead clocking out and still finishing the work for free.

So when he defended the rule once again, he was labeled a “lazy millennial” for wanting to follow it.

Keep reading for the full story.

Got called lazy by my elderly coworkers for refusing to work without pay

I work samples at Costco, and a new company policy is giving us extremely strict clocking and clock-out times.

I have been told by management that even if work is left unfinished, you still need to clock out exactly at the right time.

But not all employees interpret this policy the same way.

Fast forward to both this weekend and last week. Clock-out time rolls around, I tell everyone to go home and to leave their work unfinished, and I get a whole bunch of elderly women scoffing at me and suggesting to clock out and then continue.

Or today, shouting at me to continue working regardless of whether or not that’s the rule.

This employee can’t understand why her coworkers are behaving this way.

It’s quite baffling. This is not my rule, it’s corporate’s rule, and these people are literally suggesting we clock out and continue working so we can get our stuff done.

I got called a lazy millennial because I suggested we should go home at the time corporate wants us to leave.

Sounds like these elderly coworkers see what they want to see.

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

Sometimes you just can’t reason with stubborn people.

These coworkers clearly aren’t thinking clearly.

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This user thinks they know what might be driving this behavior.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about customer who won’t take no for an answer when it comes to outdated price-matching policies.

Why would you co-sign your own exploitation?

This worker is the only person in the story who understands that unpaid work is still work.

Following clearly written instructions doesn’t make him lazy. It makes him the one protecting everyone’s paycheck — and personal safety.

Free work only teaches management to expect more for less.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.