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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/BookOfMormonProject on 2025-06-09 10:13:55+00:00.
30 years ago when I was only about 20 I worked for a software company. It was a pretty rubbish company, their software was rubbish because they'd employ trainees and get them to do the development on it without a senior first checking their work.
Needless to say, the app often had problems. Every other month a memo would go out to all programmers asking us to come and work the weekend, and that any time we work won't be compensated with overtime but instead we can have the same amount of time off work later with pay (time in lieu).
I never used to take holidays, but due to undiagnosed depression I would often have a random day off as a sick day instead.
One month my manager called me in and told me that there were problems with the software that needed fixing urgently, and because we were approaching the end of the year he was talking to everyone who'd had too much time off sick and taking holiday entitlement off them.
I don't recall the number of days entitlement I had, but after deducting my unauthorized illnesses from my holidays I had only about 3 days left. I was told the aim was to stop people taking holiday they were entitled to and would have to take before the year ended and they lost it, thus giving them more work hours to fix the software.
I explained to my manager that I had no intentions of booking any of my holiday and would happily work those days + any additional required weekends (as I often did), but he insisted that this is what he had to do. I explained to him that I don't book holidays, I don't claim my time in lieu, and I just have a day off when I am having a bad day. Ultimately the company gains from this because I work more days than I am paid for and I don't like them treating me like this way, and if they do it then I won't work time in lieu for them again - but he insisted that from now on all days off must be genuine illness or booked in advance, and that overtime worked would be paid as time off in lieu.
I asked him how many holiday days he was taking away, and how many days in lieu I was owed. So I let him take my holiday away, leaving me with 3. I then asked to book those 3 days of holiday off + claimed the 7 days in lieu I otherwise wouldn't have taken.
(Edit: I remember now he refused to let me take the time off) - he told me I cannot have off the days I was entitled to. I told him if he didn't also stick to the rules then I would never work overtime again.
PART 2 - So NOW you want to pay overtime....kind of.
The directors weren't happy with how their plain to get more work had backfired, so sent out a new memo.
"We will be opening the doors until 8pm every work day and 8am to 8pm weekends. If anyone is willing to work more hours then clock in/out with Craig. If we meet our deadline, then there may be a reward for you based on how many extra hours you worked"
My boss asked "will you be coming in?". I said "no". He asked why not.
I told reminded him that I had said if they take away my days then I won't work time in lieu again. He pointed out that it would be time in lieu PLUS a bonus!
I pointed out that not only does it not say how much the bonus is, but it only says we MAY get the bonus, and then only IF we meet the deadline. Far too conditional for overtime pay, so I declined.
Lots of people worked lots of hours over the next week or so, one guy worked an additional 60 hours.
They met the deadline, and there was indeed a bonus!
For each hour they worked, each employee received a lottery ticket (at the time they cost £1).
The guy who you had to clock in/out with was working 12 hours per day, 7 days per week. He came over to gloat at how many lottery tickets he had, he said "potentially they've given me millions!".
I told him "Not only have they paid you £1 per hour overtime, which is less than half of what I got as a child working in a supermarket, they've not even allowed you to choose what you want to spend your money on".
One person won £10.
I am the only one who conformed to the requirements being forced on me, everyone else allowed them to take days away and still didn't claim their remaining owed days in lieu, and I am the only one who didn't get ripped off.
Yes, I did laugh at everyone.