My manager called me into her office, visibly annoyed, and said, “Everyone stays until at least 7. It shows commitment.”
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I stayed calm and replied, “That’s not in my contract. My hours are 9 to 5:30.” She rolled her eyes and shot back, “Well, doing the minimum won’t get you ahead here.”
I left that meeting frustrated, but I made a decision: I would do exactly what my contract required—nothing more, nothing less. From that day on, I left at 5:30 every single afternoon.
A month later, HR called me in. When I walked into the room, my manager was already there, wearing a smug expression, as if she’d finally caught me doing something wrong.
But then HR said, “We’ve been reviewing the timesheets. Writing you up for leaving on time goes against company policy and your contract. We need to know what’s happening here.”
It turned out other employees had complained about being pressured to work unpaid overtime, and my write-up became concrete evidence. Everything had been reviewed, including by a lawyer.
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As HR explained that my manager would need retraining—and that no one could work past their scheduled hours anymore without approval and overtime pay—her face turned red.
Since then, everything has changed. A few coworkers quietly thanked me. Others are distant and cold, like I ruined something for them. My manager barely speaks to me now and is clearly still angry.
I don’t regret standing up for myself. But I can’t help worrying about what comes next. Did I do the right thing? And how do I deal with the situation now?
