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Antiwork

Is being available from 8am-5pm weekdays via Teams considered “on call” for a part time employee?

My new employer is asking I be available to respond to messages on Teams from 8am-5pm during the week. I am only paid for 15-20 hours a week. I missed some Teams messages the past two mornings (logged on around 10am) and my boss had to have a reprimanding phone call with me just now. I asked on the phone if the expectation was I be “on call” during work hours and he said, “well, it's not on call. I just need you to be able to respond quickly to messages. My schedule is so tight that if I message you, I need to hear back from you within a few minutes.” I feel a little misled by the employer as they said the position was remote and I could choose my own hours as long as it was during the workday. The position is such I'd rather have hours…


My new employer is asking I be available to respond to messages on Teams from 8am-5pm during the week. I am only paid for 15-20 hours a week.

I missed some Teams messages the past two mornings (logged on around 10am) and my boss had to have a reprimanding phone call with me just now. I asked on the phone if the expectation was I be “on call” during work hours and he said, “well, it's not on call. I just need you to be able to respond quickly to messages. My schedule is so tight that if I message you, I need to hear back from you within a few minutes.”

I feel a little misled by the employer as they said the position was remote and I could choose my own hours as long as it was during the workday. The position is such I'd rather have hours my boss knows I am logged on vs this be available all day thing. Am I being unreasonable?

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