No One Works For Free

“When I was 17, I worked a summer job at Pizza Hut. I had relocated from my university town restaurant to my hometown restaurant. After being there for five weeks without receiving any pay, I approached my boss about it. He claimed it was because I had provided the wrong employee number, which I knew wasn’t the case. So I called him on New Year’s Eve, the busiest night of the summer, and informed him that I wouldn’t be coming to work because I wasn’t there as a volunteer and wouldn’t work for free.”

“In response, he told me that if I didn’t show up, I might as well not return as I would be fired. I stood my ground, didn’t go to work, and enjoyed a fun New Year’s celebration instead. A few days later, I contacted the Employment Tribunal (in New Zealand) and explained the situation to them. They reached out to my boss, who then called me, offered me my job back, and was exceedingly pleasant for the remainder of the summer.”