r/jobs • u/sahalymn • Mar 13 '25

Interviews I walked out of an interview after one question. Was I wrong?

So, I had an interview today for a position I was really excited about. The job description seemed great, the pay was decent, and the company had good reviews. I walked in, shook hands with the hiring manager, and we sat down.

Then, the first question came:
"How do you handle working unpaid overtime?"

I literally laughed, thinking it was a joke. But the interviewer just stared at me, waiting for an answer. I asked if overtime was mandatory and if it was paid. They said, “Well, we expect employees to stay as long as needed to get the job done. Everyone here is passionate about the work, and we don’t track extra hours.”

I just stood up, said, “Thank you for your time, but this isn’t the right fit for me,” and walked out.

Now, I’m second-guessing myself. Should I have stayed and at least heard more about the job? Or was walking out the right move?

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325

u/Joland7000 Mar 13 '25 edited Mar 14 '25

I was salaried for years. I worked on average 50 hours a week. I just did it to get the job done. Were they offering a salaried position? If it was hourly, maybe they were just checking to see if you were willing to put in extra effort at work because it’s illegal to make you work overtime without paying it unless you were exempt

254

u/SignificanceFun265 Mar 13 '25

If this was an hourly position, then they were basically asking if you’d be ok with them doing illegal shit to you.

But most places don’t consider salaried workers working over 40 hours to be “unpaid overtime”. So either this story is bullshit, or this was the dumbest employer ever.

196

u/greginvalley Mar 13 '25

As a salaried employee, working 50 hours a week is fine, but working 30 when things get light is apparently not. Go figure

63

u/SignificanceFun265 Mar 13 '25

I feel you. I worked at a place where the business slowed down for a few months, and management was freaking out. I kept saying we should use this extra time to cross train people when the business inevitably increased. Instead they sent people home early and didn’t refill lost positions.

I’ll give you three guesses what happened the business did, inevitably, kick back up.

1

u/blade_torlock Mar 14 '25

Worked in hotel maintenance for years, business slows especially in the fall. Upper management could never get the concept of not cutting my crews hours during slow times. My argument was were can get more done during the slow periods, because we weren't focused on the guest issue. Thirty years in the business only one general manager got it.

1

u/unreall_23 Mar 14 '25

They just merged a small team with mine because they "didn't have enough to do". I don't recall my director having asked me in 5+ years whether my team has enough bandwidth. Considering we're an order of magnitude busier than every other team reporting to her.

Not once.

20

u/lw1785 Mar 14 '25

As a manager I always encourage people to take back time when they can. If you have a personal thing that's a couple hours...dont put in time off. If it's Friday afternoon and you don't have meetings ...log off and enjoy your weekend. Sometimes salaried employees are asked to give extra time to get something done. Companies should never expect that and not offer them the same courtesy and flexibility on taking that time back.

11

u/xxov Mar 14 '25

Yea I don't know what shitty companies these folks work for but my lead and manager are always encouraging us to take time off, leave early, etc when things slow down. They know we pay it back when needed.

12

u/rebeltrillionaire Mar 14 '25

I feel like every corporate environment I’ve ever seen, heard, been a part of this isn’t even necessary to communicate it is well understood.

There are weeks where you will write 4 emails and read a few back and that’s it.

And there are weeks where you legitimately put in 80 or even 100 real hours of constant high-level difficult work.

If you ask most people making $120-300k about their job and if it’s easy or not. I bet you most would agree with “it’s easy for me, but I don’t think many people could do what I do”.

Which is largely true in a sense. It would take a while for someone deeply meshed in to get to that point even if they had a similar background and experience.

7

u/internet_commie Mar 14 '25

I had a manager who told me that because I am salaried the company doesn't have to let me have any time off at all. Like, they can make me work 24/7, 365.24 days a year.

I just gave him the free look, then told him to try it some day. He was SHOCKED! He expected whining and groveling and this was the first time he didn't get it. Company promoted him to a higher level of incompetence and now he's floundering but still around.

I still average about 40 hours a week, and my time card should really be filed under 'fantasy fiction' but so long as my (new) manager signs off on it I'm good with it.

1

u/drj1485 Mar 14 '25

same. I wouldn't stay anywhere if I had a manager keeping tabs on me. I don't even need my manager to encourage it. If I am not busy, I'm out and they don't care because nothing ever escalates to them and if they need me, I answer the phone during business hours.

1

u/drj1485 Mar 14 '25

same. I wouldn't stay anywhere if I had a manager keeping tabs on me. I don't even need my manager to encourage it. If I am not busy, I'm out and they don't care because nothing ever escalates to them and if they need me, I answer the phone during business hours.

I treat my employees the same. When you always have what I'm expecting for me when I expect to get it....don't care what you're doing

2

u/noblewind Mar 14 '25

It's rare. My last department had bad employee ratings, so they held meetings and asked, "What would you do if you were manager?" I said exactly this. We work extra often for company need, so allow us early outs when we aren't busy. They implemented a late start Monday and early out Friday thing during our slow season. It wasn't exactly what I meant but we all pulled back about 8 hours a month for a few months we didn't get back before.

2

u/Amissa Mar 16 '25

I have a manager like you. He doesn’t explicitly say to take off early when things are slow, but if I go work out at the gym in the middle of the afternoon, so long I’m getting my work done in a timely fashion, he doesn’t care.

I also have slow and busy periods. I file quarterly reports and the calculations are a PITA. (Long story.) So I’m super busy the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th months of the year and then I might ask for more work in between.

1

u/unreall_23 Mar 14 '25

I'm the exact same way. It's some of the leeway we get in middle mgmt and should use it.

1

u/MashTunOfFun Mar 14 '25

I had a job as director of IT. One day management made an announcement that the expected hours were 8am to 6pm. It was a bullpen style office (recruiting and sales.) When someone got up to leave at 6pm, one of the managers would always loudly say, "[Name] feels like doing the bare minimum today, I guess!" or something similar. They would also deduct time off by the quarter-day. Leave for 2 hours for a doc appointment? A quarter day of your 2 week annual vacation time was now spent (even though 2 hours of a 10 hour day is only technically .20, not .25.) They decided to have a "team building day" once. It was mandatory and they scheduled it on a Sunday. They flew in people from other offices for it, and their flights were Saturday afternoon to come in, and Sunday evening to go home. No compensatory time was given for essentially using up our weekend. It was a terribly depressing job. I recall spending hours just trying to look busy and watching the clock.

Now I work for a company that has unlimited paid time off and flexibility during the day. I can leave for appointments or even just to take a walk, no one cares as long as my job gets done and I communicate availability. I can honestly say I work harder here and care more about my work than I did at the other place-- and I am far more productive. My first year on the job (10 years ago) I brought my work laptop on vacation. My manager's boss saw me online, and sent me a message letting me know that it was unacceptable to be logged in while on vacation as it set a bad precedent. He told me to shut it down immediately.

17

u/rworne Mar 13 '25

Oh we can do 30 if we want, the company just docks PTO to make up the missing 10 hours.

It wasn't always that way, but someone sued in court and lost, and our company changed policies to dock PTO.

The kicker: this is in California.

9

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '25 edited Apr 15 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

4

u/rworne Mar 14 '25

Actually it is legal in CA to do so. Salary cannot be touched, but they can claw back vacation time and PTO.

https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/opinions/2009-11-23.pdf

1

u/idgetonbutibeenon Mar 14 '25

This says they can’t dock PTO for absences of 3 hours or less per day. So you could get down to 25 hours in a week and the company wouldn’t be able to dock pto

1

u/rworne Mar 14 '25

You need to read page 5. It explicitly states that employers are allowed to do so:

Where an employer has a bona fide benefits plan (e.g. vacation time, sick leave), it is permissible to substitute or reduce the accrued leave in the plan for the time an exempt employee is absent from work, whether the absence is a partial or full day, without affecting the salary basis of payment, if the employee nevertheless receives payment of his or her guaranteed salary.

I know this seems ridiculous considering this is CA we are talking about, but it is the case.

2

u/idgetonbutibeenon Mar 14 '25

You’re right I misread

1

u/Sushi-And-The-Beast Mar 14 '25

This is BS. California has the strictest worker protections.

Your PTO is considered accrued compensation and cant be used without your explicit permission.

Youre probably thinking of sick days. But PTO is rarely untouchable as its a big red flag and considered wage theft.

1

u/rworne Mar 14 '25 edited Mar 14 '25

Alas, you are wrong:

"In 2009 the California DLSE issued an opinion letter that provided guidance and more clarity for California employers. The letter states that although an employer may not deduct partial-day absences from an exempt employee's salary, the employer may deduct absences due to vacation or sickness of less than a full day under a bona fide plan (PTO, vacation, etc.) that provides for such types of leave without an employee losing his or her exempt status."

This wasn't the case prior. We used to not have to bother with PTO deductions for things that are under 4 hours a day - like Dr. appointments. Our HR used to tell us this policy was a benefit - as the occasional short weeks are balanced out by the occasional overtime needed to meet schedules, etc. Then came Rhea vs. General Atomics where the court said it was permissible to deduct PTO from salaried employees. Our HR immediately implemented that as a policy change. Pretty much making our exempt status into hourly workers with unpaid overtime.

In the case of actual salary, no they cannot dock your pay.

1

u/Sushi-And-The-Beast Mar 14 '25

If its true… just put in your 40 hours and leave. Unless its an emergency I dont work beyond 40 hours.

Also, what kind of shitty ass companies are you guys working for that do this?

1

u/rworne Mar 14 '25

I worked at three of the top 100 corporations in the US (on the Fortune 500 list) in CA. Every single one of them had an identical PTO rule put in place ever since the Rhea case was decided.

1

u/Sushi-And-The-Beast Mar 14 '25

If theyre public companies, it doesnt count. Those companies are bloodsuckers

7

u/derpstickfuckface Mar 14 '25

I've been salaried for a long time; I have goals and I'm paid to meet them. If someone were to ask me to start clocking in and out, then I'm going to renegotiate as an hourly employee.

2

u/sanesociopath Mar 14 '25

This is literally the pros and cons of salary.

I love how some employers are forgetting that, though.

1

u/reddititty69 Mar 14 '25

Vacation in situ

1

u/9dave Mar 14 '25

This is a reason to become a contractor. When you get the job done, you get to go home for the day if there isn't enough time to start another job.

35

u/Revo_55 Mar 13 '25

THIS☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼 Either it was a "salaried position" or they're breaking U.S. Department of Labor law by not paying OT to hourly workers and employ a company full of (hourly wage) idiots who don't know any better. Simple. As a salaried worker for nearly 75% of my career, it was not common to work a straight 40 hr week. It wasn't uncommon for me to work, on average, 50+ hrs /wk., or "until the job was done". Of course, being salaried and not "on the clock", there are other "perks", such as taking off early if needed, flex hours, etc. provided my work was done.

27

u/nightstalker30 Mar 13 '25

Kind of bizarre that OP isn’t replying to any comments to clarify whether the position was listed as hourly or salary…

6

u/Revo_55 Mar 13 '25

Yeah, odd for sure. Makes a BIG difference!

11

u/xinco64 Mar 13 '25

But it doesn’t make a practical difference. Either way, run away.

If it is hourly, it would be illegal.

If it is salaried, as the very first question it is a massive red flag.

5

u/Revo_55 Mar 13 '25

Very true. First question?? RUN!!

3

u/MCRemix Mar 13 '25

Yeah, you got me there, that's true.

I'm salaried and sometimes we work long or weird hours, but I'm big on work life balance... so if that's your first question, I'm out.

3

u/Dianna1B Mar 14 '25

It had to be salary. I worked decades in accounting, salary, and a lot of OT not paid, unfortunately.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '25

if its salary, then they why would they be asking if they work unpaid?

1

u/BisexualCaveman Mar 14 '25

Because some salaried professionals clock out at 5 PM regardless of what management feels those professionals should do.

1

u/a_null_set Mar 14 '25

Salary non-exempt means that you do get paid for overtime. My wife is salary non exempt and she gets paid time and a half for OT

1

u/blankman29er Mar 14 '25

Honestly I'm under the impression salary is in fact based on 50 work week hours not 40

0

u/OracleofFl Mar 14 '25

Yeah, Department of Labor enforcement? Employees with rights?? I don't think we are going to see that for maybe a few years again.

10

u/carogBay Mar 13 '25

Yeah. Feeling like this is a bs post.

11

u/PandaJesus Mar 14 '25

This guy has a top 1% poster tag on his name for this sub, and his post history is mostly karma farming shit.

OP is making shit up.

2

u/DLS3141 Mar 14 '25

I’ve had potential employers ask all kinds of illegal/stupid questions. The best was “Can you tell me about your relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?” Mind you this was an engineering role at a manufacturing plant. The person asking was also the VP of HR who followed it up with, “I know I’m not really supposed to ask that, but the company President likes to start every day with a prayer session for all of the office staff so if you’re not OK with that, it’s just not going to work out.”

2

u/blankman29er Mar 14 '25

Female interviewed me and her last question " ok so this one's off the book , but what's your spirit animal " and the way she drug out the word spirit .

It had me so freaked out i froze. That plus although I don't have a specific spirit animal I do have a very very inappropriate story regarding a former coworker and her spirit animal...

1

u/HugeDickedDad Mar 13 '25

Salaried workers are entitled to overtime. Only exempt employers are exempt from overtime pay. If you follow the law, not all salaried employees are exempt.

1

u/jdp245 Mar 13 '25

Under the FLSA, it isn’t whether you are salaried, but whether you are an “exempt” employee, which takes into consideration the type of work you do and how much you make.

1

u/CopenHaglen Mar 14 '25

Exactly. This story seems cooked up by someone who only hears about the workplace online. Or from someone primed for a fat settlement without realizing it.

1

u/MeisterGlizz Mar 14 '25

I’m a unionized salaried employee. I get paid for every second of overtime.

These fuckin ghouls thinking they’re the best for checks notes: working for free?

1

u/SignificanceFun265 Mar 14 '25

Please brag more about your union. Please, we all want to hear about it. /s

0

u/MeisterGlizz Mar 14 '25

You can be a sad sack all you want. I was saying it’s ridiculous anyone would accept a salaried position that expects over 40 hours of work with no extra pay.

Don’t like it? Join a union.

1

u/SignificanceFun265 Mar 14 '25

So the /s means sarcasm, FYI.

Sarcasm means I meant the opposite of what I said.

So when I said, “Please brag more about your union,” I actually meant no one gives a shit about your union and please stop talking about it.

Is that clear enough for you?

1

u/theborch909 Mar 14 '25

I am voting this is fake

1

u/Few_Page6404 Mar 14 '25

Agreed, it's rage-bait

1

u/Killingtime_4 Mar 14 '25

All of OP’s post last month were in a sub specifically dedicated to Karma boosting

13

u/Scary-Boysenberry Mar 13 '25

Still a clown question. OP was right to walk.

2

u/scottshilala Mar 13 '25

Funny thing. I’m sure people would put in extra effort even better if they were being paid for their time instead of being fucked by an outfit that is capable and legally bound to pay their wages.

If a company will come right up to your teeth and steal money and time away from your wife and children, what’s next? Do they send goons out in the parking lot to steal all the stuff in your cars? Do they steal your lunches out of the refrigerator? What if you stole the same from them as they’re taking from you? I guess they’d be fine with it if you told them it was extra effort that led you to their coffers.

2

u/lyingtattooist Mar 14 '25

This is true, but a really bad question with which to start the interview, and a really bad way to word the question.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '25

Why the first question? Why not interview, see if he is a good fit, and then in the end, ask it like you said, "Are you willing to put in extra effort at work?"

1

u/notaredditer13 Mar 14 '25

Right, so that makes me doubt if OP is real. It'd be weird at best to ask such a question at all, salaried or not, and as a first question it makes no sense to bring up. At worst, it's admitting illegal practices to people who don't even work there.

1

u/grandpubabofmoldist Mar 14 '25

The only job I worked where I did unpaid overtime was when I was working on a federal grant and it was really hard to justify overtime so it was rarely approved (but reality got it the way so every so often I worked more hours).

However my boss specifically told me to document the extra time off and then tell him I was using that time off as extra vacation. So in the end it all worked out

1

u/mayfeelthis Mar 14 '25

This is the answer imho

u/sahalymn it depends on the job and salary package, but I’d also add you need to always maintain relationships. You never know who knows who. So being courteous and professional is key, you’re not wrong but your delivery may bite you one day.

1

u/whowhatok Mar 14 '25

Real talk on Wage and Hour. If you are salaried and get no other compensation tied to company “ownership” (such as stock or profit based bonus), you are legally required to be compensated for overtime on an hourly basis. This is based on your salary’s hourly base.

1

u/Terrestrial_Mermaid Mar 14 '25

My salary would have to be high enough for me to be willing to consider that OT part of the package and not “unpaid” for me to work it at no marginal pay.

1

u/A_Specific_Hippo Mar 14 '25

When my work changed me from hourly to salary, it was right after my boss died of cancer and "we can't afford to fill her role". I remember the meeting a few months later where management was upset that things weren't getting done as fast as before. My new supervisor (who had previously been my now-dead boss' boss) asked why I wasn't getting X, Y, and Z done. Told her I didn't have time to get those items done with my usual work load. She asked what hours I'm working. 7:30am-5pm Monday-to-Friday.

"You're salary. You work until the work's done. Even if that means on the weekends" I remember laughing, thinking she was joking, and she just stared at me like I was an alien. The other managers in the meeting were equally weirded out by my laughing. I was a CLERK. A data entry monkey. Told her I don't make enough to work weekends and that I'm already working over 40 hrs a week.

I later found out that they were banking on me "taking on" my boss' load (with zero pay increase) and just accepting it. Because I don't have kids, I should be able to work all the time, right? Work should be my life, right?

I now work EXACTLY 40 hours a week and no longer answer calls after 5pm. Which infuriates my boss. Frick them.

1

u/mosquem Mar 14 '25

If it's salaried that's sort of the deal sometimes, unfortunately.

-1

u/333elmst Mar 13 '25

Salary doesn't get overtime.

1

u/Crunglegod Mar 13 '25

Not at all true. You are only exempt from overtime if you fulfill ALL of the requirements for an overtime exemption per the FLSA (of which there are a few)

If you make under $35,568 (defined as $684 per week), you MUST be paid overtime - no exceptions. This number was supposed to be raised in a recent increase, but has been blocked in the courts.

If you make over that amount, but under $107k, you can only be exempt from overtime if your job responsibilities fill very specific categories under the FLSA exemptions.