Intern puts in free overtime on his first day — gets fired after refusing to be 'owned' for $2.50 an hour

The internet is filled with horror stories about toxic work environments, unhealthy work-life balance, micro-managing bosses, and more. Reddit user u/popo_fish barely started working at a company called Alpha Test before they were fired. On March 4, the user explained that the company they were interning at is a "SAT prep/coaching firm," and their official working hours were from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The astonished user wrote, "​I just had the most surreal 'first day' experience at a company called Alpha Test (an SAT prep/coaching firm). ​The official hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. I stayed until 6:30 PM to make sure everything was wrapped up. I thought I was being a 'good intern.'"​ But staying the extra 30 minutes did not do them any good.

Satisfied with their first day on the job, the intern decided to leave and head home. Much to their surprise, "At 7:30 PM, while I was finally home, the Partner called and ordered me to return to the office immediately. No emergency, just a random demand. When I told her I couldn't make it back, she fired me on the spot." They also shared what the Partner said while firing them through a phone call, "Our company focuses on efficiency and profit, not on the employees' personal time. Our philosophies do not align." Frustrated by the company's reaction, u/popo_fish revealed how much the company was paying them for their time. "​Let's do the math: The pay is 200 RMB (about $28 USD) per day. They expect to own my entire life for less than $2.50 an hour." The user, who is also a student, criticized the company's methods of "educating" the younger generations.

While the student titled the post "Fired on day 1 for leaving at 6:30 PM. The audacity is unreal," the reason why they shared their experience is not to gain sympathy. They wanted to shed light on the malpractices of such companies that claim to "educate" students. They wrote, "​I'm sharing this because I refuse to accept this as 'normal.' This is a company that claims to 'educate' students for their future, yet they treat their own staff like disposable tools with zero human dignity. ​Every dollar spent on such a business is a vote for this toxic culture." They wanted parents and students to be mindful and to be aware of what kind of companies or corporations they are supporting.

Sadly, it is not uncommon for people in the U.S. to get fired without warning or a proper cause. Some employees have reported that they have been terminated from a workplace without even being told the reason. A survey done by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) in December 2022, reported that out of the 40% of US employees who have been fired from their jobs, "69 percent report that employers have terminated them for no reason or for an unfair reason, and 72 percent report that they have been terminated without warning or a chance to improve."

The post has gained 17k upvotes, and more than 800 people have gathered in the comments to express their thoughts and opinions. u/VisualCelery left a comment saying they could relate to the user's post. They said, "I hate jobs where the communicated expectations and the 'actual' expectations are different. It erodes trust and puts people on edge. Don't tell me the hours are 9-6 and then freak out when I try to leave after 6. I'm dealing with this now. They told me the day ends at exactly 5, my mentor assured me everyone logs off at 5, and yet our end of day meetings frequently run past 5, and if a request comes through at 5:10 and I'm not there to deal with it, they get really passive aggressive about it." u/Dearest_Plump also commented, "This would've sent me into a spiral on day one. my first internship I stayed late because I thought that’s what you were supposed to do… and my manager literally told me to go home because 'if you start staying late now they'll expect it forever.' that advice stuck with me."

The user decided to stand firm on their ground without caving in to the company's requests. While they may have lost their internship, people in the comments are flooding in to tell them that they made the right decision and actually dodged a bullet.

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