A Sydney-based employee found himself in disbelief after receiving a concerning message from his boss when he notified him of his absence from the office.
Taking to Reddit to share his story, the unnamed employee revealed that his wages had been consistently been delayed due to the company's cash flow issues, and therefore he made the decision not to attend work upon realizing he was owed over $2,200 (AUD).
"Morning [manager], sorry for the late notice but I won't be able to make it to the office today," the employee's message to his manager read.
However, what he received in response left him stunned. Here's the message he got back:
"Hi [Employee],
"I would like to notify you that [BOSS] asked to deliver this message to you. You will have this week off and it will not be paid, you will be coming back next Monday the 06/05/2024. And he will discuss your employment situation with you on that day.
"[BOSS] advised do not call him during this period."
This unexpected reply left the employee reeling, especially considering the fact he says he's "relied on for absolutely everything" and that the company would be "f***ed" without him.
He clarified that his position at the company is "permanent full time", and that "the business isn’t in any shutdown period". He captioned the post: "Is this even legal?"
Despite revealing that he was already looking for other jobs, other Redditors urged the employee to seek professional guidance.
"Don't wait until 06.05 for this conversation you'll apparently have with Boss," one person commented. "Go to Fair Work TODAY. Right this very second. If you are anything other than casual, your work cannot just decide to tell you to take the work off unpaid."
(For non-Australians, "The Fair Work Ombudsman is Australia's workplace regulator. We help everyone in Australia follow the laws that make all workplaces equal and fair", per its website.)
A second added: "Better get a lawyer, son. You shouldn’t need a particularly good one."
A third offered three key pieces of advice: "1 - Leave this company asap, it's not going to last much longer. 2 - It's illegal. 3 - You're right, f**k giving unpaid labour. It's not your fault if there are cash flow problems, you're not a volunteer for him."
Something tells me this boss is about to have a lot more free time than the employee.
