How One Employee Got Sweet, Silent Revenge on a Boss Who Stole Their Time
Picture this: You’re grinding through a marathon 10.5-hour shift, stomach growling, dreaming of that precious lunch break. But wait—your boss expects you to scarf down your sandwich while fielding calls, helping customers, and, oh yeah, not getting paid for your “break.” Sound familiar? For one Redditor, u/qtg, this wasn’t just a bad day—it was their reality, day in and day out, for five long years.
But when life gives you lemons (or in this case, stolen wages and broken promises), sometimes you don’t just make lemonade. Sometimes, you serve it up with a side of delicious, quiet revenge.
When Lunch Breaks Are a Lie
Let’s set the stage: Our protagonist worked grueling 10.5-hour shifts, but the boss only paid for 10. Why? Because he deducted a 30-minute lunch break…which, plot twist, employees weren’t actually allowed to take. They had to answer phones, serve customers, and basically be on the clock—while off the clock. Over five years, that adds up to more than 100,000 dollars of stolen payroll, all while the company chugged along on the backs of underappreciated staff.
Now, most people might grumble, maybe even quit, or—if they’re feeling feisty—report the boss to the Department of Labor. But not u/qtg. Oh no, our hero played the long game.
The Promotion That Changed Everything
When u/qtg was promoted to shift manager, they saw an opportunity—not just for a pay bump, but for some poetic justice. If the boss was going to pretend breaks existed, then by golly, breaks would exist. Real ones.
Suddenly, two-hour lunches became the norm. Morning and afternoon breaks stretched to a full hour each. On slow days, the team would “stand around doing nothing for hours at a time”—while the job still got done. The boss? Clueless. He popped in on Fridays to pay the bills, maybe called now and then, but never worked side-by-side with the staff. Meanwhile, productivity (at least on paper) stayed steady, but employees finally got some of their stolen time back.
The Art of Corporate Coasting
By the final year, u/qtg estimates they spent 15 out of 40 hours a week doing absolutely nothing—just hanging out in the breakroom, scrolling their phone, only springing into action when a customer actually needed help. Over four years, that’s nearly 2,000 hours of paid leisure, all while keeping customers happy and operations running smoothly.
When the boss broke his promise to provide health insurance at age 26, that was the last straw. Our hero moved on—to a hospital billing department, where the lessons of stealthy self-preservation came in handy. The work queue was knocked out in the morning, and the rest of the shift was pure, blissful idleness.
Lessons in Petty Revenge (and Workplace Survival)
There’s a certain joy in reading about this stealthy rebellion. Sure, it’s not the grand, fiery justice of a courtroom showdown, but it’s satisfying in its own way. The boss cut corners; the employees learned to cut themselves some slack. It’s a little reminder that sometimes, in the face of unfair treatment, workers can reclaim some power—even if it’s just one extended coffee break at a time.
But there’s a bigger point here too. Wage theft is a massive, underreported problem (it costs US workers billions every year!), and not every workplace has a hero willing to dish out subtle payback. The real solution isn’t more creative slacking-off, but bosses who value their teams and follow the law. Still, when management treats employees like robots, they shouldn’t be surprised when the humans fight back—with the pettiest, most satisfying revenge possible.
What Would You Do?
Ever been in a similar spot? Maybe you took a little extra time on your lunch, or found ways to “work smarter, not harder” when your boss wasn’t looking. Or maybe you’ve got your own story of workplace justice, petty or otherwise! Drop your stories in the comments—we’d love to hear how you survived (and maybe thrived) when the boss was a little too shady for comfort.
And remember: Never underestimate the quiet power of an employee with a grudge, a smartphone, and way too much time on their hands.
Original Reddit Post: my employer stole from us every shift, but I kept my mouth shut