Nate
When the term “mandatory company retreat” pops up, most of us think about team-building exercises, motivational speeches, or perhaps a scenic location to unwind. But for one Redditor in r/AntiWork, it turned out to be a battle of wits and understanding of employment rights.
A couple of decades ago, this employee’s company decided on a weekend retreat, a whopping 600 miles away. Everyone had to be there, bags packed, at their regular 8 AM start on a Friday, and they wouldn’t return home until late Sunday night. No side trips, no downtime, and every minute was scheduled. For an hourly worker like our hero, that’s a lot of clocked-in hours. So, naturally, when he returned, he billed them for 50+ hours of overtime. Cue a dramatic confrontation in the office.
The employee’s boss tried to label the mandatory company retreat as “self-improvement” time instead of work hours. But with clear documentation proving otherwise, and a refusal to stay silent, this employee not only ensured he got paid what he was due but also set off a chain reaction that cost the company half a million in legalities. Talk about a retreat gone wrong.
See the full story below with reactions from readers in the comments.
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