Asked if staying late was paid. It was not. So I went home on time.
My manager has a habit of doing that thing where, five minutes before the end of the day, he suddenly notices there’s still work left.
Then comes the usual “can we all just stay a bit and get this finished?”
No mention of overtime. No mention of pay. Just the expectation that everyone will quietly sigh and accept that leaving on time is rude now.
Yesterday he did it again.
I was tired and honestly just wanted my tea, so I asked, “Is this paid overtime?”
He looked a bit surprised and said no, not really, it’s just to get the work done.
So I said, “Okay, I’ll finish it tomorrow then.”
And at 5, I packed my stuff and left.
Nobody stopped me. No dramatic scene. Just a very awkward silence and one coworker giving me the tiniest nod on the way out.
Today, when the same thing almost happened, someone else asked the overtime question before I could.
A small victory, but I walked home feeling about 20% more employed and 80% less trapped.