Marketing professional was told he 'lacked passion' for not responding to work messages at 10 pm. He went straight to LinkedIn

Companies often expect employees to be passionate about their work, but when asked for fair compensation, they retract by pointing out bogus flaws. Take this Reddit user, for instance. When u/misnit received his annual review, he learned that his boss needed him to be more "passionate" about work even after 10 pm, despite not being given a raise in 3 years. Expressing his disappointment, the employee's post on December 4 reflects the toxic work culture amidst uncontrollable inflation, and how he didn't stand for that behavior.

u/misnit works in the Marketing department of a company that sells industrial cleaning supplies. Recently, he received the annual performance review and was surprised to see the remarks. "My boss literally said I need to work on being more passionate about the company," the author wrote. When he brought it up to his boss, he was informed that since he failed to respond to messages post-work, like other team members who were more available, he had received the said remark. "I work in marketing. For a company that sells industrial cleaning supplies. I make $19/hr. What passion am I supposed to have for mop buckets at 10 pm on a Tuesday when I'm trying to watch a show with my gf?"

The boss also informed him that he'd need to go above and beyond if he wanted the raise that he had been chasing for 3 years. "Inflation is insane and they're really out here asking me to be passionate about email campaigns for floor wax," he wrote. The employee, who now plans to quit the job, has 2 interviews lined up and is looking to put down his papers. A 2024 study by VH Bernstrøm, M Ingelsrud, and W Nilsen showed that working outside regular hours can cause poorer ability to detach from work mentally. By expecting the employee to work after working hours, the boss is establishing a toxic environment, which has prompted the employee to quit his job.

Following the post going viral, many users shared their thoughts on the issue. u/maddlyweird wrote, "They always pull the 'passion' card when they don't want to pay you what you're worth. It's wild how they expect you to treat a $19/hr job like you're launching SpaceX while they can't even match inflation. Good luck with those interviews, hope you land something that actually respects your time." u/vatothe0 shared, "When you quit, be sure to tell him at 10 pm." u/DrXanaxal wrote, "Ask him how to punch in after hours so you can get paid for your time to answer questions and you'd be happy to assist. Sounds like he wants a salary worker on an hourly wage. I feel ya I’m going through the same thing."

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