"$15/h Loyalty Tested: Manager's Guilt-Trip Fails Spectacularly on Worker's Day Off"

For some, going the extra mile at work seems natural. Picking up an extra shift, coming in on your day off, or staying after hours is part of being a good employee. This tends to be especially true with younger workers, as ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2023 report found that workers aged 18 to 24 tend to put in an extra eight hours of “free” work per week.

Many of us have probably experienced guilt-tripping at least once in our lives. For example, your mom probably guilt-tripped you into babysitting your little brother or the neighbor’s kid. Such an example might not seem so bad, but guilt-tripping in general, as mental health experts note, is a manipulative tactic.

Workplace thought leader Liz Ryan suggests that managers sometimes take advantage of the more easily guilted. They know which buttons to push, and those employees who don’t have a strong backbone yet might be more easily manipulated. According to her, “It takes two to tango!”

She emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries. When it comes to working extra hours or during your days off, no excuses should be needed, Ryan says. Employees are not required to share any personal details about why they can’t make it to an extra shift or stay longer and help the manager out.

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“What you have on your schedule has nothing to do with the central issue, which is that your workday is done, and you’re exhausted,” Liz Ryan explains. “Learn to say, ‘What you’re suggesting won’t work, but how about this other solution?’ Practice saying it in front of the mirror if that helps you.”

Many commenters sympathized with the employee and dragged the manager: “A pouting child”

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