Worker Exposes Manager Attempting to Force Quits by Slashing Hours Amid a '95+ Degree Heatwave'

A warehouse worker has accused their manager of cutting every employee's schedule from 30 to 40 hours a week to just 10 to 15, while leaving staff to work alone in a facility where the air conditioning was stuck at 82 degrees Fahrenheit (about 28°C) during a 95-degree heatwave.

The worker shared the account on Reddit's r/antiwork, saying the site had become barely operational. The post did not identify the company, manager or location. IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the allegations, and no response from the employer was included in the material reviewed.

Worker Describes Sudden Hours Cut

The worker said management introduced a 'single coverage site' system, meaning one employee was expected to handle an entire shift alone. The arrangement reportedly replaced schedules of 30 to 40 hours per week with only 10 to 15 hours.

The employee said the reduced hours had created serious financial pressure while the workload remained largely unchanged.

'Everyone is being given 10-15 hours per week when we used to get 30-40,' the worker wrote. 'We are now a single coverage site, which means one person per shift is expected to do inventory, pack orders, answer the door for delivery drivers (we keep it locked at all times because we've been robbed multiple times), clean the bathroom and take out garbage.'

The post claimed the facility kept its doors locked because it had been robbed 'multiple times'. That left the lone worker responsible for responding to delivery drivers while also completing warehouse duties, according to the account.

'I can barely go to the bathroom, let alone eat,' the worker wrote. They added that they routinely walked 15,000 steps during a shift.

The worker also described difficult conditions during a period of extreme heat. 'The AC was stuck at 82 degrees during the 95+ degree heatwave,' they said.

That detail prompted particular concern online, although the post did not include temperature logs, photographs, workplace reports or a response from management. It is therefore impossible to establish from the account how long the problem lasted or what steps, if any, the employer took.

OSHA does not require employers to provide air conditioning or impose a single maximum indoor temperature. It does, however, say employers are responsible for protecting workers from hazardous heat and recommends measures including adequate water, rest, schedule adjustments and monitoring for symptoms of heat-related illness.

Questions Around Forced Quits

The worker interpreted the abrupt reduction in hours as an attempt to make employees resign rather than formally dismiss them. The Reddit post provides no evidence establishing that management intended to force resignations, so the claim should remain clearly attributed.

The original account began with the blunt question, 'Is it common for companies to do this?' The worker said they were 'at my wit's end' and could not understand how management believed the new arrangement was workable.

The post attracted attention because it described a workplace being run on a skeleton schedule despite the site still requiring inventory, packing, deliveries, cleaning and security procedures.

The worker also claimed management was micromanaging staff, becoming angry over small mistakes and pressing employees to increase packing speed despite the reduced staffing levels.

The employee further alleged that management changed the schedule for the following week at 11:47 p.m. the night before it began, adding to their frustration with the new arrangement.

There was no official comment from the employer, police, a labour agency or an occupational safety authority in the source material.

Claims about previous robberies, the heat inside the building and the reasons for the schedule changes remain allegations by an unidentified employee.

The account also did not establish whether workers were classified as full-time or part-time, whether their contracts guaranteed minimum hours or whether the cuts affected eligibility for benefits. Those details would matter in determining what legal or employment protections might apply.

Online workplace discussions often advise employees in similar situations to keep copies of schedules, document changes in writing and seek guidance from the relevant labour authority. Whether this worker has taken any such action is unknown.

The Reddit post did not confirm that the employee had filed a complaint, applied for partial unemployment benefits or contacted a union.

What can be established from the post is narrower: one worker says employees' weekly hours were cut dramatically, solo coverage was introduced and staff continued handling multiple duties in uncomfortable summer heat.

Whether the changes were simple cost-cutting, poor staffing decisions or a deliberate attempt to encourage resignations cannot be determined from the post alone.