A Manager Living the Exact Opposite, Forces New Employee to Carpool... Gets Angry When Asked for Leave, "What About My Commute?"

The houses are completely opposite, so it actually takes more time and cost
Unable to receive the carpool expenses supported by the company as a probationary employee

A story has been shared about a new employee who carpooled with a boss living in the exact opposite direction during their commute but never received any compensation and was instead scolded.

The photo is for illustrative purposes only and is unrelated to the article content.

On the 20th, a user named A posted on an online community with the title, "I'm thinking of quitting because of carpooling with a company boss whose license was revoked." A, who identified as a young worker in their 20s, lives on Ganghwado Island and purchased a car to commute to Gimpo. About a month after joining the company, the CEO instructed A to carpool with their supervisor, a manager. The manager said their home was nearby, but in reality, it was in the exact opposite direction from A’s house.

A said, "It only takes 21 km and 30 minutes from the company to my house, but carpooling resulted in 42 km and 58 minutes," adding, "The distance doubled, and combined for the commute, I had to drive 40 km more every day." The manager also frequently suggested stopping at convenience stores along the way to have coffee and chat. They even took turns buying the coffee. A said, "The manager is in their mid-30s but smoked five cigarettes a day and always talked about life," and added, "I was stressed, but as a newcomer who didn’t know anything, I thought this was just how work life was."

A carpooled for two months without ever receiving any fuel cost compensation. After A’s probation period ended, when they took two consecutive days off for the first time, the manager scolded them, asking how they would commute. A said, "I suggested the manager buy a car too, and they confidently said they had a car but lost their license due to drunk driving."

After returning to work following the two days off, the manager said, "Because of you, I had to wake up at 5 a.m. to come to work," and added, "If you want to take leave from now on, tell me a month in advance." A said, "I got angry and told them I was driving 40 km more every day because of the carpool, and they responded, 'Do you have to nitpick every little thing?'" A also found out that although the company normally supports 100,000 won for carpooling costs, they did not receive this during their probation period. A said, "I’m really angry and plan to tell the CEO and quit," and lamented, "I want to get reimbursed for the fuel costs I spent giving the manager rides."

In response to this story, netizens commented, "Is the manager a friend or relative of the CEO?" "Just the fact that their license was revoked for drunk driving says it all," "If they had any shame, they would have at least paid for the fuel and met halfway," and "Charge for the time spent giving the manager rides as extended work hours." One netizen pointed out, "If this is true, it’s definitely a case to report to the Labor Department," and criticized, "The CEO ordered it and the employee agreed, but not providing any compensation and forcing the commute is outright abuse of power."