Manager orders ex-employee to work even after their official last day. They served up the ultimate comeback

Taking orders from your boss is something you do whether you like it or not. But what if you're forced to obey them even after you've left the job? Well, that's what happened to a person whose former manager asked them to show up at the office even after their last official working day. The ex-employee, who goes by u/alkuna on Reddit, shared how they fiercely reacted to their toxic manager's outrageous order, without any fear.

In 2016, the author, after working for over a year as a stocker for a craft store, resigned as they were moving out of State. The ex-employee handed in their two-week notice, clearly mentioning their last working day. However, when the schedule arrived, the author realized they had been scheduled until the 20th of that month, i.e., two days after their official last working day. They immediately called the store manager, confronting him about the issue, saying they wouldn't work the extra days since they were moving out. The store manager appeared to understand the situation and said he would fix the schedule. "It's mildly irritating to have to argue my case, but the store manager has always been a bit spacey and disconnected from reality and time, so I chalk it up to him having a derp moment and let it go. I work my last few days, get hugs from the coworkers I'm friendly with, say goodbye to all the staff, and go home for the final time," the author recalled. 

However, the day after their last day, the author got a call from the floor manager, insisting they show up at work. The former employee said they won't be able to since they were busy shifting work, but the floor manager said, "The store does not arrange itself to YOUR schedule. This is a job, and you need to work when needed." It turns out she, who had a not-so-friendly relationship with the author, had put them back on the schedule. The ex-employee, clearly pissed at the floor manager, tried justifying that they had worked until the last day of notice and had even received their last paycheck. When the floor manager didn't understand and kept demanding that the author show up at work, they just laughed at her idiocy, saying, "I quit on Wednesday. I don't take orders from you anymore. Goodbye."

Meanwhile, reacting to the story, u/msvindii shared, "I've had this happen, many years ago at one point. It was my first job, and I was being verbally abused by my boss almost every day, so I went to my parents and sat down with them. We talked about my quitting the job, and they agreed it would be a good idea, completely supporting me. So I called and I quit. After hanging up, I got a text saying that I still needed to come in the next day and cover my shift because 'it wasn't their responsibility that I couldn't handle the work,' and they even tried to withhold my last check from me, but it didn't work out for them."

A user who goes by u/l3etelgeuse asked, "Why does retail seem to have the most toxic working environments​? I had a manager who would repeatedly threaten to fire me back in the early 2010s and would constantly tell me that I'd be out on the streets if I didn't keep my job." Another user, u/demimondatron, wrote, "This is absolutely mind-boggling to me every time I hear about it. Management really thinks they own people, especially in retail and restaurant work. And now all those same managers and owners are just shocked that workers don’t want to return to their abuse post-pandemic for a pittance an hour."