'Employees held each other hostage': Man recalls working at toxic job where no one 'dared' to leave office first

In many offices, the workday may officially end at a fixed hour, but walking out exactly on time can still feel awkward. For some employees, the clock striking 5 pm does not automatically mean freedom. Instead, it turns into a silent waiting game where everyone looks around, unsure who will make the first move. A recent post on Reddit has brought that quiet pressure into the spotlight, after a man shared his experience of working at a company where, as he put it, no one “dared” to leave at closing time.

No One Dared to Be the First

The man, who posted under the username Rossumisgaaf, said he worked as an account manager at a company that designs and builds bakery stores. His shift was straightforward: 8:30 am to 5 pm. He described himself as someone who values punctuality, so he would usually arrive around 8:15 am and start his day early.

During his first week, he left the office around 5:05 or 5:10 pm. A few days later, his manager approached him with a complaint. “What you're doing is unacceptable,” the manager said. Surprised, he asked what the issue was. The answer: “Well you're leaving way to early, everybodies talking about it”.


He pointed out that he came in at least 15 minutes early each day. That explanation did not change anything. According to him, the manager replied that it did not matter because “no one sees you coming early.”


That was when he noticed a pattern. Although the official end time was 5 pm, most employees stayed back until 5:20 or even 5:25. Around 75 staff members, he said, were essentially “holding eachother hostage” by refusing to be the first one to leave. It was not written in any policy, but it was clearly understood.

He left the company after about a year and a few months. Even now, eight years later, he calls it the worst work culture he has experienced. He later found a job where leaving at 5 pm or just after was completely normal.

Online Reactions

The story sparked a flood of reactions. One commenter responded with a simple exchange: “Oh, sorry, I understood that my shift ended at 5pm” and then added, “Then that's when I leave.”

Another user did not hold back, writing, “I don't give a cinnamon toast fuck what people are saying, I'm doing a backflip out that door as soon as 5pm hits”. Some saw it as unpaid labour driven by peer pressure. “The voluntary overtime is just unpaid labor with a side of peer pressure. I'm gone,” one person commented.


A different user pointed out that the extra time was not even productive. “No work is getting done anyway. Phones are off, and everyone is waiting for someone else to make the first move.” They also said that trying to shame people for normal behaviour crosses a line.

The original poster later added that both his manager and the company owner played a role in setting this tone. They often spoke about the “good old days” when employees worked 70 hours a week without complaints. His manager would typically arrive at 8 am and leave between 5:30 and 6 pm, seemingly to set an example.

“But just because your life is your job, it doesnt mean you can ask the same of your employees,” he wrote.

According to him, after he resigned, the company struggled with retention in his position, hiring several new account managers over the following years.