A worker claiming that their boss recently cut their hours and pay in half because he “doesn’t believe in wfh” has that worker now testing the job market. Presumably to find a work-from-home job.
The person in question, redditor u/liberty285code6, submitted their story to the r/antiwork subreddit, geared toward those who “want to end work, are curious about ending work, [and] want to get the most out of a work-free life.”
The worker begins, “I live prohibitively far to be in the office every day. My boss knew that when he hired me and the agreement was always that I am in office on an as-needed basis. Usually about 7 days out of the month.”
The story then continues, “My boss told me last week that he will be forcing me to go part-time along with the associated pay cut because he no longer wants me to wfh. He said I’m ‘so much more productive in the office.’”
“It’s just patently untrue,” the worked contends, “although I doubt he’s actually looked at the numbers. I retain a high level of productivity regardless of location— according to our KPIs, I alone am as productive as everyone else combined.”
The redditor then shares, “It’s his business and it’s a right to work state, so he can do whatever he wants. He can cut the most productive person in his company for any reason or no reason at all. I’m just finding it frustrating that apparently this boomer has to see me sitting at my desk to think I’m doing a good job.”
It ends with, “Bums me out to look for a new job.”
People came to the post to share their thoughts about working from home.
“No doubt he will expect you to complete the same workload for half the pay,” one commented.
Another said of the boss, “He should not receive the same work output,” noting the poster should [halve] their production rate and be 100% unavailable off the clock since I am presuming part time also comes with a cut in benefits.”
One suggested that the redditor “should look into filing for partial unemployment. It won’t cover the entire loss of income, but it should help,” adding that such a move might motivate the boss to fire the worker and “give them a clear case for claiming full unemployment benefits.”
According to a U.S. News article, “Partial unemployment is exactly what it sounds like – an unemployment check that replaces part-time income. The only difference is that it won’t be as much money as an unemployment check that replaces a full-time job.”
The article goes on to point out, “Plenty of Americans work part-time jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.5% of American workers over age 16 held more than one job in 2020 (in 2019, before the pandemic hit, 5.1% of workers were holding down more than one job). This may not sound like many workers, but 4.5% comes out to more than 6 million people.”
The article also notes, “It can vary from state to state, but in general, the main requirement is that you’ve either earned enough or worked enough time to collect unemployment. In most states, you usually have to have worked a full year before being eligible for unemployment.
Generally, you are eligible for unemployment benefits, partial or full, when you are fired, furloughed, laid off, terminated or whatever your word choice is for losing a job. If you quit your part-time job or suggest to your employer that you would like to work fewer hours, generally you will not be eligible for partial unemployment benefits.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the Redditor via Reddit DM.
