Tension is rising in a North Carolina landscaping company after the employer allegedly refused to pay a worker for 4 hours of labor. The reason was that the employee had made a few mistakes at several clients’ estates after spraying herbicide on weeds. Going by the Reddit username aspec84, the worker has taken his frustrations to r/mildlyinfuriating, where over 15K people are weighing in on the drama.
In aspec84’s post, a screenshot of the boss’s text message that reads, “Are you expecting me to pay you for your mistakes?” OP explains that they’ve been working at the company for 2 years and have known their employer for 15 years, but now they’re considering quitting after this interaction. “I always go above and beyond what is expected, even getting praise for my work, but now this? This seems like a severe power trip and manipulation,” they concluded.
Support for the Worker Was Overwhelmingly Positive, Many Agreeing the Boss Was Wrong
In the comments, almost everyone was on the workers’ side, encouraging them to put their foot down against their boss’s response. “The only reply you need to give is ‘Yes, I do expect to be paid for work,’” suggests a commenter. “At least then if he fires you you are eligible for unemployment.”
Another person added that the employer should have just fired aspec84 when he found out about the mistakes, but doesn’t have the right to enforce free, unpaid labor over it. OP shared in the comments how they made sure to speak with each of the five clients whose properties were affected, explaining how they could care for the damaged spots on their grass. “So there is also proof that I was there if he tried to deny it,” they wrote.
Many others added that making mistakes is human and should be expected from any employer, considering that all paid employees are human. “Frankly, it’s a miracle if things are done 100% correctly the first time around,” remarked someone claiming to be a software engineer.
While the boss may be allegedly considering the unlawful act of refusing to pay his worker, the employee, on the other hand, is determined to stand on moral ground. When asked why they couldn’t just get their 4 hours’ worth of pay from their company’s credit card, they responded, “That is illegal and I have better moral standards than that.”
