Gen Z employee kept getting new work from his boss even on last working day. What happened next exposed office politics at its finest

Leaving a job usually means wrapping up pending work, handing over responsibilities and logging off for the last time. But for one employee, the final day at work turned into something very different. Even after submitting the resignation and reaching the last working day, the employee kept getting fresh assignments from the founder. Later, an update shared by the employee revealed why it was happening, triggering a discussion on workplace boundaries and startup culture.

The incident was shared on Reddit, where many users weighed in with advice and opinions on whether employees should continue helping after their official exit.

Fresh work kept coming even on the last day

The Reddit user explained that he was working remotely at a small startup and that his final working day had arrived. During the morning stand-up meeting, the founder assigned several small tasks, which the employee accepted.


The user said it felt like the founder had forgotten it was the last day because new work had continued arriving over the previous few days as well. Later that day, another important task was assigned. Although it could be completed within a few hours, the earlier smaller tasks remained unfinished.


The employee wrote, "I'm doing a remote job. My last day is today. Morning during stand up, he assigned a bunch of small tasks. I said okay. I have been feeling like he forgot my last day cause he keeps assigning a lot of tasks in the last few days."

He added, "I feel like he is expecting me to work tomorrow also because it's remote."

According to the post, the startup had only four people, including the founder. The Reddit user said he was the only full-time employee, there was no HR team, and no replacement had been hired yet.

The update brought an unexpected twist

After the original post attracted attention, the employee returned with an update explaining what had happened.

The user revealed that the company's product launch was scheduled for the next day. According to the founder, the resignation had come during a critical period, and there had not been enough time to hire a replacement.

The Reddit user shared, "So.... it's their product launch tomorrow, and I quit during an important time, and he said he didn't get the time to hire anyone new and that he needs me to lend a helping hand for 10 days, and he will only give me minor tasks if I'm available..."

The employee admitted feeling pressured while responding to the request.

"I felt a little coerced into saying yes, unfortunately," the post said.

The user also explained that they had earlier told the founder they were moving abroad instead of mentioning salary concerns because they feared leaving on bad terms. After agreeing to help, that explanation became difficult to maintain.

Reddit users urged the employee to draw a line

Many Reddit users felt the employee was under no obligation to continue working after the official last day.

One person commented, "You can just...remind him? Notice periods are usually for handovers, not for being given new tasks. Very clearly inform him that it's your last working day and therefore these new tasks should be handed to the person taking over your role."

Another user advised, "Then finish whatever work that you can finish today and then just mail a list of work done by you and work remaining that will need to be assigned to someone else because you're leaving and then just leave. Stay strong on not doing even a minute of extra work after you are done today."

A different commenter wrote, "Companies will squeeze you to death if you allow it."

In another reply, the employee revealed an additional concern, saying, "He has not paid me for last month and this month. So now idk if he will delay payment."