In my experience, this company runs on control, cost-cutting, and pressure, especially during high season. The expectation is that you will stay an extra hour (or more) as if it’s normal, and the worst part is the way it’s handled: you’re not treated like an adult professional with a schedule, you’re treated like a resource to be stretched. “Clocking out” stops meaning what it should mean. You’re supposed to leave at a certain time, but the reality is you’re constantly pushed to stay afterhours, and it becomes a routine rather than an exception.
The moment I realised how money-focused and controlling the culture is happened during peak season. I had finished a full shift, already drained, and I tried to leave at the time I was scheduled to leave. That’s when the pressure started: “Just one more hour.” Not asked like a request, said like an expectation. And it wasn’t once. It became a pattern. What made it feel truly dehumanising was the level of monitoring and permission-seeking for basic things. Even going to the bathroom turned into something you felt you had to ask for, like you’re not trusted to manage your own body and time. That kind of environment messes with your head. You stop thinking about doing great work and start thinking about avoiding conflict, avoiding scrutiny, and just surviving the shift.
This is not a modern workplace. It’s a high-control culture with low trust, and it creates an anxious, miserable environment where people burn out fast. If you value autonomy, respect, healthy boundaries, and management that leads instead of policing, avoid this place. If you’re comfortable being closely monitored, staying late as the norm, and having your time tightly controlled, then you might fit , but don’t pretend it’s healthy.
