Micromanaging Boss Texts Worker Every Saturday Morning Demanding A List Of Their Weekend Plans & How Long Each One Would Take
"If you want to succeed in your career, you can't rest on weekends."
Fizkes / Shutterstock.com In a submission to the “Work Trauma Podcast” on TikTok, hosted by an ex-corporate creator, one employee shared a workplace horror story that has since haunted them throughout their career — all stemming from one “micromanaging” boss.
The employee said their micromanaging boss demanded a list of their weekend plans and time commitments every Saturday.
“I joined this small company just after the first lockdown ended,” the employee wrote in her submission. “The very first weekend after I joined the management called me at 8 a.m. on Saturday.”
To determine whether they could “spare a few hours” to work, the manager directly asked them for a detailed list of their weekend plans, hoping to guilt them into working during any hours they might not have “real plans.”
And this wasn't a one-time thing — “It became a ritual for every single Saturday.”
Commenters were understandably disgusted by this boss's actions, to say the least. “I don’t even open my email or answer phone calls outside of work,” one person wrote, “unless I’m going to be generously compensated.”
Not only did this boss micromanage the employee's time away from work, but he also suggested she wasn’t “doing enough” by taking time to rest and stepping away from her role. “The usual taunts also started blowing — ‘If you want to succeed in your career, you can’t take rest on weekends. You have to work on holidays, as well.”
Micromanagers are one of the biggest workplace red flags.
According to over three-quarters of employees, micromanaging bosses is the biggest red flag in a workplace, but this boss takes “red flags” to an entirely new level.
People already struggle to maintain their happiness and health with five-day work weeks, let alone sacrificing their weekend time.
Even though this boss attempted to convince the employees that true workplace success comes from overworking themselves, the truth is quite the opposite. Most employees are both happier and more productive when they prioritize intentional rest in their schedules.
Any boss who intentionally creates an atmosphere of overworked and unhappy employees doesn’t care about the well-being of their team and likely will be dealing with a larger problem of burnout before they know it.
After being asked to sacrifice her personal time, this employee resigned — only to be lectured by her overbearing boss about ‘quitting early.’
“I started interviewing aggressively,” the employee admitted after understanding her micromanaging boss’ ritual.
“When I got a better offer, I immediately resigned. This guy got all upset and lectured me about how ‘you can’t leave a company two months after joining. We made plans keeping you in mind. Now, who do I assign your work to?’”
Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com
Clearly battling an authority complex, as many micromanaging bosses do, he continued to berate the employee for leaving the company while simultaneously trying to get them to pass along their work and train a replacement.
If your employer wants to dehumanize you, take advantage of your time, and enforce impossibly high expectations, you shouldn’t be ashamed to leave them behind.
In fact, you don’t owe your employer much of anything. If they’re not looking out for you, someone has to do it. Don’t feel guilty or ashamed for making a career decision that supports your happiness, lifestyle, or fulfillment, even if a micromanaging boss tries to make you.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.