Technician-turned-supervisor speaks out against company's 'unpaid practices' for hourly workers

Habits and routines often influence our efficiency, but with time, some of them may become ineffective, illegal or immoral. Those who bravely speak up for change can make the world better. u/LePetitRenardRoux shared her story on Reddit of how she stood up for her employees against unfair practices in the workplace. She begins by stating that she is a "supervisor" at her company. The post then covers how she was in a meeting to discuss the responsibilities and working schedules of the technicians at their organization.

She says, "I was told that the techs need to arrive at the clinic and set up for their session 15 minutes before their session is scheduled to begin." Upon hearing this, the author agreed that this is a good practice but inquired whether the additional 15 minutes of work would be paid for. To her disappointment, she was informed that it would be unpaid.

She then asked: "Why would we tell our techs to work if they aren't being paid?" Another supervisor at the meeting justified this unfair demand by saying that the technicians should be glad they got to work in the clinic and thereby got full-time hours. The author, however, refused to enforce unpaid working hours and insisted that her technicians be paid for their labor. Fortunately, her boss agreed to take it up with the higher-ups. The author reveals in her post that this was a topic that struck a chord with her personally as she was a technician once and suffered quite a bit.

She wrote, "Low hours, decent pay, but when you only work 15 hours a week, it shakes out to be very little. I never made more than 20k/year." Understanding the rigorous working hours of the technicians—having been one herself—she is determined to stand up for them. She then provides more details about ethical issues within her field and how such practices are "internalized exploitation."

The author explained: "When we were techs 5-15 years ago, labor rights were not as much common knowledge as they are now and we fought for hours. Unpaid work was part of the job. That's how it always was for me and my coworkers. We were exploited and some of us haven't realized that yet." She also talks about how she has proof of not being paid for 600 hours of work at her previous workplace due to this labor exploitation. The author reflects on how such inhumane practices are common in her workplace, noting how her colleagues were shocked when she stood up for her technicians.

u/LePetitRenardRoux also shared that her current company is reasonable and pays technicians well—unlike her previous workplace, where she had an abysmal experience. She wrote, "At my last company, a client punched me in the face and broke my $30 glasses and the company refused to pay for a replacement because it was a 'personal object' and they are not responsible for any of my personal objects that I 'chose' to bring into a session."

The author wishes to make significant changes at her workplace as she likes working there. She confesses that she has faith in the organization and can make things right slowly by having the right conversations. She then goes on to cover how paying the technicians for 15 minutes of working time will hardly strain the organization's finances. Ultimately, she intends to pursue legal means if unfair practices are established.

Users on the platform supported the author's efforts to take a stand. u/ryuukhang commented, "And if they don't change their policy, an anonymous tip to the Department of Labor (assuming US) will be a great next move." Another user, u/DeadLettersSociety, reflected on the situation, saying, "Yikes. If anything, those bosses should be grateful that they have workers at all."