Employee refuses unpaid office work at home, gets formal warning from boss. ‘Supposed to be doing homework’
In today’s workplace, employees are increasingly expected to be constantly available, blurring the line between paid work hours and personal time. From mandatory after-hours meetings to online training modules, many workers face pressure to perform tasks outside their regular schedules without additional compensation. A recent incident shared online has brought this issue into focus, highlighting the challenges hourly workers face when employers expect them to complete job-related tasks at home.
Asked to ‘study’ a new system at home
According to a Reddit post, a retail employee was formally warned after making a billing error on a newly introduced point-of-sale (POS) system. The employee explained that the mistake occurred because the in-store training provided was insufficient. Instead of offering additional paid training, the manager allegedly instructed the worker to learn the system at home on their personal time.
The employee said this expectation was unreasonable, particularly given that the job barely covered basic living expenses. They also noted that several functions of the new POS system were not working correctly, yet employees were still expected to use it. When the employee mentioned having personal commitments outside work, the manager reportedly dismissed the concern, pointing out that other team members had managed to practice on their own.
‘Don’t work for free,’ Reddit users respond
The post quickly gained traction, with hundreds of comments backing the employee and criticising the demand for unpaid training. Many Reddit users stressed that any form of mandatory training should happen during paid hours. Several commenters argued that allowing off-the-clock work, even informally, only normalises practices that harm workers in the long run.
Others advised the employee not to sign the written warning and to formally respond in writing, explaining why the disciplinary action was unjustified. Some suggested asking for the response to be added to the personnel file to prevent the warning from being used later in performance or termination decisions.
A recurring theme in the comments was the suggestion to escalate the issue. Reddit users urged the employee to approach human resources and seek guidance, framing the situation as a potential legal risk for the company. Commenters noted that companies often act quickly when off-the-clock work is raised as a compliance or liability issue.
Several users also mentioned contacting the labour department or filing a wage complaint if unpaid training was being required. Others advised getting instructions in writing—such as confirming via text or email that training was expected to be done at home—before taking the matter further.
