What can I do if my boss forces me to work overtime?

Yesterday, my Deputy General Manager (DGM) called me into a meeting after I said I couldn’t stay late. He basically threatened to fire me if I didn’t work overtime until midnight. This is the first time I’ve said no to overtime. Has anyone else dealt with this? Wondering what my options are.

That’s super stressful. Most places can’t make you work overtime without your agreement. Do you know if your company has a policy on this?

Val said:
That’s super stressful. Most places can’t make you work overtime without your agreement. Do you know if your company has a policy on this?

Yeah, unless there’s an emergency or a signed policy, they can’t just demand it. Did they give you any paperwork?

@Zeke
No, no paperwork. It was just verbal during the meeting.

@Zeke
You should start keeping a record of these conversations. It might help later if things get worse.

You could probably bring this up with HR. If there’s a union, they might be able to support you too.

Blossom said:
You could probably bring this up with HR. If there’s a union, they might be able to support you too.

Good idea. I’m not in a union, though. Do HR teams usually take these things seriously?

@Lin
Depends on the company, tbh. Sometimes HR is helpful, but other times they just side with management.

Quick question—what’s a DGM? Haven’t heard that term before.

Hale said:
Quick question—what’s a DGM? Haven’t heard that term before.

Oh, sorry! It stands for Deputy General Manager.

If I were you, I’d write everything down. Dates, times, what was said, everything. You never know when you might need it.

FYI, if your workplace requires overtime approval in advance, they can’t just spring it on you like this.

Andi said:
FYI, if your workplace requires overtime approval in advance, they can’t just spring it on you like this.

I didn’t think about that. I’ll check if there’s a rule like that at my company.