A 22-year-old woman who works at a small clothing store in a mall turned to Reddit’s “r/antiwork” community to vent her frustration after her manager criticized her for skipping a shift on her scheduled day off—just days after the company abruptly laid off half the team.
The women’s complaints about her Manager in the post
In her post, titled “My manager said I ‘wasn’t a team player’ for not coming in on my day off after they fired half our team,” she explained that the company fired three of the store’s six employees without warning, citing “cutbacks.” The decision left only her, another part-time worker, and the manager to run the store.
She had Thursday off—her first day off in over a week—and planned to run errands, attend a doctor’s appointment, and finally catch up on sleep. But at 8 a.m., her manager texted: “Hey, can you come in? It’s just me here and we’re slammed.”
She declined the request, explaining she had prior commitments and wasn’t scheduled to work. Her manager didn’t reply and instead posted a passive-aggressive Instagram story implying that some people “only care about themselves.” When the woman returned for her next shift, her manager told her she was “reconsidering her reliability” and claimed that “real team players step up when it’s hard.”
Feeling frustrated, the woman wrote: “I’m paid $15/hour. I don’t get benefits or PTO, and you fired half the team. You don’t get to guilt me into unpaid loyalty.” She added that her manager has since been giving her the silent treatment.
Take a look at the post here:
Feeling frustrated, the woman wrote: “I’m paid $15/hour. I don’t get benefits or PTO
ALSO READ: Caught on cam: Woman drowns in Ganga while trying to pose for social media pic
Netizens react to this post on social media
Her post quickly went viral, sparking a flood of supportive comments from users sharing similar experiences. One user wrote: “Some managers treat running a business like a side quest to their main goal of controlling others.” Another added: “Wait until she sees what kind of ‘team player’ you are when you quit for a better job.”
The story struck a chord with many, highlighting a growing sentiment among workers who are pushing back against toxic workplace expectations and standing firm on maintaining work-life boundaries.
