Worker Wakes Up on Day Off, Looks at Phone—Can’t Believe What Boss Has Done

By

Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years she has specialized in viral trends and internet news, with a particular focus on animals, human interest stories, health, and lifestyle. Alice joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously wrote for The Observer, Independent, Dazed Digital and Gizmodo. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Alice by emailing alice.gibbs@newsweek.com.

Senior Life and Trends Reporter

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

When a London restaurant worker woke up to not one, but nine, missed calls from their supervisor before 10 a.m., they were so surprised they took to the internet to share the story.

In an anonymous post on Reddit‘s popular r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, the staff member posted a screenshot of the many missed calls over half an hour. The reason? The supervisor was trying to rope them into covering a shift at the last minute.

“I was really flustered when I woke up, but I sleepily called my ex-supervisor back and told him I couldn’t come in, that was it, really,” the poster, who chose to remain anonymous, told Newsweek.

Although they no longer work at the restaurant, they were inspired to share the story online where it hit a nerve with people who had similar stories. With more than 62,000 upvotes and thousands of comments, Redditors weren’t shy about sharing their reaction in the comments.

“Good for you for ghosting them. Enjoy your day off in peace, OP,” wrote one commenter.

While another joked: “He’s trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty.”

Others shared how they would have reacted, like one commenter who said: “I’ll be honest, if I saw this on my phone on my day off I would answer rudely.”

While another said: “Good for you for ignoring them. When they confront you on your next shift, don’t back down. What you were doing and why you didn’t answer is none of their business.”

It’s little surprise so many people could relate to the moment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of June 2025 there were 17.043 million employees in the leisure and hospitality sector.

But according to Oyster Link’s Hospitality Industry Worker Burnout Report 2025, 47 percent of hospitality workers struggle with a good work-life balance. While 64 percent of hospitality managers in the U.S. said burnout had cause team members to quit.

Those aged 18 to 29 experienced the highest rates of burnout, and among these, 68 percent report being “very stressed” at work.

When it comes to the reasons for burnout in the hospitality sector, 69 percent said that last-minute schedule changes were to blame, while nearly all (98 percent) said that they often work overtime and 47 percent said they don’t have enough time to recharge between shifts.

“I wasn’t expecting it to blow up on Reddit as I’ve found this behavior it fairly common working in London restaurants,” the poster explained. But they were encouraged by the responses from others on Reddit.

“It was a relief to know that his behavior, although desperate, was deeply unacceptable.”

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