Posted on 02/01/2024 12:29:09 PM PST by Red Badger
A Gen Z employee has sparked furious debate after telling their boss that they couldn't attend an 8 a.m. meeting because they had a 'workout class.'
TikTok users have fired off at the hosts of the podcast Demoted, Natalie Marie and Ross Pomerantz, after they shared their reaction to an email they received from a listener claiming their Gen Z employer refused to attend an 8 a.m. meeting because it conflicted with their 'workout class.'
The hosts' response to the email ignited a fiery conversation as people on the web argued about work-life balance.
And, one Gen Z TikTok creator added fuel to the fire when he put himself in the shoes of the employee and questioned if his denial to attend meetings outside of his work hours should be something he was reprimanded for.
The debate began when a now-deleted clip of the podcast hosts discussing the topic went viral.
In the video, Natalie reads off an email she received from a listener.
In the email, the listener asked whether it should be 'allowed' for their 'Gen Z new hire' to refuse to show up to an early morning meeting because they had a workout class.
Natalie then chimed in with her own reaction. She said: 'You just started this job. I don't give a flying s*** about your workout class. Also an 8 a.m. workout class is too late. Work out at six, maybe seven.'
Meanwhile, Ross noted that the employee's response made him 'angry.'
He said: 'My visceral reaction was are you f***ing kidding me? My hand's shaking, and it's not from the caffeine.'
Both of the podcast hosts noted that while mental health was important, 'personal time' shouldn't interfere with work.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I used to show up at two in the morning on occasion to attend a meeting with our German branch.
Let's not even talk about the years I went in at four in the morning five days a week so when people showed up at the store at eight they would have nice, fresh, delivered that morning, milk.
I start the day at 3 am on work days. The employer is in control of the schedule. Or, you quit.
No debate at all . The jerk that has to go to the gym should go and never return, as Trump would say, “You’re fired”.
The question has an easy answer: If the employee did not agree to be at work at 8am, and the company agreed that he or she would start work at a later hour, then the employee is in the right.
If the employee agreed that 8am is their normal start time, fire his or her butt (that will give plenty of time for working out).
Even if they're wrong they're still right.
That said I fired my boss and retired 4 years early over the vax.
He was right up until then but I handled it like a boss.
Doesn’t matter “who’s right”.
In a free market, an employer can fire their ass for whatever reason.
I don’t have enough information to have a strong opinion on this one. In the past, I have taken jobs that included “on call” time, or sometimes changing shifts. These things are best hashed out during the application process. I always made it clear that I never wanted to be scheduled for Sundays (with emergency work acceptable). The employer might be low-balling the pay, so the employee just wants to do the minimum to match the compensation.
A lot of us who would bend in any direction had had it when employers started demanding masks when working alone, and shots. The covenant broke for some of us then.
Finally, I don’t know how good the employee’s actual work is. If the actual performance on the job is good, maybe he isn’t that easily replaced. We know unions are corrupt and abusive, but then we should allow for employees to bargain for that which is important to them. As long as silly law suits or government action doesn’t interfere, it may not be that big a deal. Maybe it would be just best to take him of the promotion track because he isn’t a “company man”. That might work for him, too.
I remember Brett Baier having an on-air fit because some Ozero flunky called him ‘dude’ during an interview...funny stuff.
As an employee that has been working 50+ hours per week for many years, my thoughts have evolved on this. Corporations are abusing their employees for more hours. I now tell my boss, my computer shuts down at 6pm, work done or not. I let him tell me what his priority is, so he can decide what isn’t done.
Tell them goodbye, they are now free to work-out 100% of the time, every day.
I agree.
Here’s the key question. What are the employee’s normal work hours?
If an employee is supposed to report to work at 9 AM (and that seems to be the case here) then absent a true emergency the employer should not be scheduling an 8 AM meeting.
Folks might have workout classes. More importantly, they might have to drop off kids at school or wait for a babysitter. So I’m kinda on the employee’s side here.
The last time I worked for a company was as a repair plumber, my rule was no work on Thursday because my drinking club met on Wednesday nights and no calls scheduled before 11:00 am or after 2:00pm any day of the week, although if it was really important I could do it, also Friday was when I would come to the shop and turn in my paperwork and customer checks.
Guess who was the most profitable plumber in the shop?
The flip side is this was a quarterly meeting scheduled for 8 am, and the employee knew of this quarterly meeting when hired.
I'm still on the side of management here, but I'm not as outraged as I first was. But as an employee, you do have to understand that you occasionally need to be flexible with your work hours and some sacrifice is necessary. Especially if it is a quarterly meeting that you can schedule around months in advance.
Curb with a box, is the kindest thing you can do for these self absorbed idiots. Might as well give them a free lesson on workplace expectations to help them prepare for their next daycare provider employer.
Severance is discretionary. They should be working the fryer ar McDonald’s with their loser attitude.
Who schedules 8AM meeting? I mean I’m in work by 7:30 but I’d still hate on somebody that scheduled a meeting at 8. Sounds like a good place to not work at anymore.
I really think that more info is needed.
What time was this person’s notmal start time?
How much notice did the employer give?
What if their shift does not start until noon?
What if they were told at 4pm to be in the meeting?
An 8am meeting may conflict with a LOT of regular workers, esp with very short notice. Getting kids off to school, possible MD appts that can take months to schedule and that with little, no notice, the patient is also responsible for MD payment etc.
And if outside of regular hours, is this a PAID affair? or are they expected to do this unpaid?
A lot of variables here.
I would generally side with the employer. but there is not enough detail.
You know why.
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