Here’s a fun one: many employers say overtime is “mandatory.” That’s legal, believe it or not. They can require you to work extra hours as a condition of your job, as long as they pay you for it. You don’t have a right to refuse if it’s in your contract or policy.
Working Saturday Office Hours
But here’s the twist: if they threaten to fire you for refusing to stay two hours past your shift, that’s usually okay (unless you’re in a union or have a specific contract). Crazy, right? The law sees this as “at-will employment.”
The only exception is if the request is dangerous or violates safety rules. Your boss can’t say, “Stay six extra hours to fix this live wire without training.” That’s a hard no, and you can walk—or run.
The Sneaky “Start Early” Problem
What if they don’t keep you after your shift, but ask you to come in 15 minutes early to “get set up”? Same rule applies: that 15 minutes is work, and you must be paid for it. Don’t let them guilt you into unpaid prep time.
I once had a manager who said, “Just come in early, it’s only ten minutes.” I told him, “Great, add it to my timesheet.” He looked like I’d asked him to donate a kidney. But guess what? He paid up. You should never work for free, even for “team spirit.”
If they try to keep you late and don’t pay, that’s called “wage theft.” And it’s more common than you think, affecting millions of workers every year.
