The teenager, Roberra, posted a screenshot of the text in Reddit’s “Antiwork” forum and asked: “What do I do? I’m 16, and I can’t work today. I put on my availability I could only work Friday.” The post has garnered over 33,000 upvotes and more than 3,600 comments slamming the teen’s boss.
While frustrating, it’s not illegal for an employer to ask workers to come in on their days off. Most states have “at-will” employment, meaning employers can fire their employees at any time, for almost any reason, including refusing to come in on a scheduled day off.
“Unless you are in a union [with] a collective bargaining agreement prohibiting [working on days off], an employer can ask you to come in and terminate you if you refuse,” Neil Pedersen, a California-based attorney, said on Avvo.
“Assuming you are an at-will employee…your employer can change the terms and conditions of your employment at any time for any reason or for no reason. If they do, you have the choice to continue to work under the new conditions or leave,” Pedersen said. “Of course, if working on your day off means you’re working more than 40 hours in the workweek, you are entitled to overtime for all hours over 40 hours in a week.”
‘Antiwork’
Roberra’s boss purportedly asked him to clock in on his days off on two separate occasions, per the teen’s screenshot. In both messages, Roberra’s boss explained that several people had called in sick, but on both occasions, Roberra refused to come in.
His boss said nothing after Roberra’s first refusal. After the second, however, his boss threatened to fire him.
“You must come today, and if you don’t come today to work [,] I’ll let you go, and you don’t need to come for your next shift. Thank you,” Roberra’s boss said via text.
Redditors React
Roberra asked Redditors for their advice. In turn, many told Roberra to find a new job.
“Sounds like they need you more than you need them. Call their bluff and find a new job,” u/SecretSquirrelKP advised.
“Go find a new job. You’re 16, it’s not a career, [and] there’s no great salary/benefits package on the line. Just move on,” u/SaucyMercchant84 said.
“You are 16. What kind of job is it? Is it retail or fast food? Let them fire you, collect unemployment and find a new job,” u/dominantspecies added. “Your manager is a douche, your company is ripping you off, and you have agency in this.”
Newsweek reached out to Roberra for comment.
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In August, commenters bashed an employer for berating a worker who needed to take time off for an appointment.
And Redditors slammed a second boss in August who purportedly fired an employee of seven years for being 20 minutes late to work.
