Okay, I just need to get this off my chest because I’m fuming. My boss, let’s call him ‘Gary,’ is completely out of line and I just need people to tell me if I’m crazy here or if he’s the one with the problem. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills because everyone at work seems to just… accept it.
I work in data processing. My job involves inputting information from physical documents into our digital system. Pretty straightforward, right? We have daily quotas, a certain number of documents we’re expected to process. I usually get through about 70-75% of my quota each day. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depends on the complexity of the documents, if the system is slow (which it often is, but Gary never wants to hear that), or if I get interrupted.
Here’s the thing: I work my 8 hours. My contract states 9 AM to 5 PM, with an hour for lunch. I arrive on time, I take my full lunch, and I leave on time. Every single day. I do my work diligently. I don’t slack off. I’m not chatting by the water cooler for hours. I’m at my desk, focused, typing away. If the documents aren’t all processed by 5 PM, that’s not MY issue. It’s an issue with the workload, or the quota, or the system, or frankly, the company for not hiring more people. But Gary sees it differently.
He called me into his office last week. He had a stack of reports, saying my “completion rate” was consistently below average compared to the rest of the team. He said other people manage to hit their targets, and sometimes even exceed them. I told him that’s great for them, maybe they’re just super speed typists, or maybe they get easier documents, or maybe they’re skipping lunch (which I refuse to do, my health is important). He just kept pushing this idea that I needed to “optimize my time” or “find efficiencies.”
Then he hit me with the absolute worst suggestion. He said that if I couldn’t consistently meet the quota during my regular hours, maybe I needed to “dedicate a few extra minutes” at the end of the day, or even come in “a little bit earlier” to get a head start. He said it wouldn’t be “unpaid overtime” because it would just be “catching up” on my core responsibilities. He actually said that! My jaw was on the floor. I told him, politely, but firmly, that my contract is for 8 hours, not 8 hours plus however long it takes to finish an unrealistic workload. My time after 5 PM is MY time. I have plans, I have a life, I have errands to run, I have dinner to make. I’m not staying late because his system is broken.
He got this really tight, annoyed look on his face. He said something about “commitment to the team” and “professional responsibility.” I countered that my commitment is to working my contracted hours effectively. I’m not refusing to work. I AM working. I just can’t physically process that many documents in that timeframe. It’s not a moral failing on my part, it’s a structural one for the company. I also pointed out that other people might be hitting the quotas by cutting corners or making mistakes just to get the numbers up, and I refuse to compromise quality for quantity. He didn’t like that either.
The conversation ended with him telling me he expects to see an improvement in my completion rates next month, and if not, we’d have “further discussions.” It felt like a threat. Like he’s trying to bully me into working for free. I told him I’d continue to do my best during my scheduled hours, and that’s all anyone can ask for. He just stared at me.
Now, some of my coworkers, the ones who always stay late or come in early without being asked, are giving me weird looks. I overheard one of them whispering about “not pulling their weight.” It’s ridiculous. Am I supposed to sacrifice my personal life, my mental health, my precious free time, just to make Gary happy and hit some arbitrary number that’s clearly designed to exploit us? We’re not paid enough for that kind of dedication. My contract is my contract. I give them 8 hours of my best effort. If that’s not enough, they need to change the quota or hire more people. It’s really that simple.
Was I wrong to refuse to work extra hours? Am I the jerk for standing my ground on my contracted hours?
