I got written up for leaving at 5:30—which is literally my contracted end time. My manager called me into her office, looking annoyed, and said, “Everyone stays until at least 7. It shows commitment.”

I looked at her calmly and said, “That’s not in my contract. My hours are 9 to 5:30.” She rolled her eyes and replied, “Well, doing the minimum won’t get you ahead here.”

I left that meeting frustrated but decided to do exactly what my contract said, nothing more. So I left at 5:30 every single day after that.

A month later, HR called me in. I walked in and saw my manager looking smug, like she’d caught me doing something wrong.

But then HR said, “We’ve been reviewing the timesheets. Writing you up for leaving on time goes against company policy and your contract. We need to know what’s happening here.”

Turns out other employees had complained about being pressured to work free overtime, and my write-up was proof. A lawyer had looked at everything.

My manager’s face went red as HR said she’d need retraining and that no one could work past their hours anymore without approval and overtime pay.

Now everything’s different. Some coworkers thanked me quietly, but others are cold, like I messed things up. My manager barely talks to me and is clearly still mad.

I don’t regret standing up for myself, but I’m worried about what happens next. Did I do the right thing? How do I deal with this now?