AITA for sending my boss’s after-hours emails to HR — and getting him pushed out?

My boss kept dumping "urgent" after-hours tasks on me for months while my peers weren’t asked — I collected the emails, asked HR for clarification, and a week later he was gone. I left at 5:00 PM sharp that day. AITA?

I’ve worked at this company for two years. Mike — my manager — developed a pattern of assigning last-minute “urgent” work to me, always after hours. At first I thought it was part of the job, but over time I noticed none of my coworkers were getting those late-night tasks — only me. One night he insisted I stay late to finish a report he claimed he forgot to assign earlier. I had plans and pushed back, and he pointed out my “dedication” would affect my future at the company.

I’m the employee who quietly gathered months of after-hours “urgent” requests from my manager, asked HR if this was normal, and watched HR uncover that he’d been offloading his work onto me — a week later he was told he was moving on, and I left on time.

I started digging through my inbox and found months of these so-called urgent requests — many weren’t urgent, some contradicted deadlines he’d given others, and the volume was heavily skewed toward me. I also remembered HR saying emails are saved on the company server. I forwarded a selection to HR with a neutral note asking if the pattern was standard, and then waited.

"Hi! I just wanted clarification — I seem to be receiving significantly more after-hours work than my peers. Is this standard practice?"

HR investigated and compared workloads. A week later HR confronted Mike — they found evidence that he had been shifting responsibilities onto me while taking credit for results. The company announced Mike was “moving on to new opportunities,” and I left at 5:00 PM sharp that day.

"I left at 5:00 PM sharp that day."

At work, the aftermath felt vindicating but also awkward — colleagues whispered and HR ran follow-ups. I didn’t gloat; I simply reclaimed my time and stopped accepting unfair last-minute demands. The change also highlighted how subtle workplace abuse can be when it’s targeted rather than universal.

🏠 The Aftermath

HR’s review led to a personnel change: Mike was removed from his role and publicly announced as leaving the company. The pattern of after-hours dumping stopped. I went home on time that evening and have since kept stricter boundaries around off-hours requests.

Colleagues reacted with surprise and relief; HR followed up with workload audits and manager training. The team dynamic shifted as the company addressed where responsibility had been improperly delegated and clarified expectations for managers.

Consequence-wise, I regained my evenings, HR tightened oversight, and Mike’s departure served as a warning that covertly overworking one employee can be exposed and corrected.

"HR found that he’d been shifting his responsibilities onto me while taking credit for my work."

While it felt risky to escalate, the documented emails provided clear evidence. The company chose to act, and the immediate result was an end to the unfair after-hours burden I had been carrying alone.

💭 Emotional Reflection

This situation sits at the intersection of boundaries, documentation, and risk. You can sympathize with wanting to be a team player and also recognize when being singled out becomes exploitation. The OP did the sensible — they documented a pattern and asked HR for clarification rather than accusing publicly or burning bridges.

Was it petty? Some might call it that, but the pattern showed repeated, unequal burdening. Escalating to HR was a proportional response once the OP confirmed the behavior with objective evidence. That route minimized drama and let the company handle personnel appropriately.

Still, reasonable people may differ: some would confront the manager directly first, others would collect evidence as the OP did. The key takeaway is that targeting one employee with after-hours "urgency" is unacceptable and should be addressed through proper channels when informal pushback fails.

Here’s how the community might see it:

“You documented it and asked HR — that’s smart, not petty. Managers can’t weaponize ‘urgency’ to exploit loyalty.”

“Maybe confront him first next time, but honestly your evidence made HR’s job easy and stopped the abuse.”

“You reclaimed your time — good for you. Lots of workplaces tolerate subtle exploitation; calling it out helps everyone.”

Community reactions will split between applauding the OP’s boundaries and advising careful escalation strategies, but most will agree that the pattern needed to be stopped.

🌱 Final Thoughts

You weren’t petty — you were protecting your time and documenting a clear pattern of unfair treatment. Escalating to HR with evidence was a measured, professional way to resolve it.

If you face a similar situation, consider trying a direct conversation first (if safe), keep detailed records, and involve HR when the behavior persists. That balances fairness with accountability and reduces the risk of retaliation.

What do you think?
Have you ever been singled out for last-minute work — and how did you handle it? Share your stories below 👇