You don't realize how much time you have until you no longer have it. I am grateful every day that my workday doesn't start until 10 AM, because it gives me so much more flexibility in the morning and in the evening. I can stay up late on work nights, and I can wake up early for doctor's appointments if I need to. I don't always use my extra time well, as shown by mornings I've spent lying in bed for 2 hours watching TikToks after waking up at 7 AM. I probably would get a lot more done around the house and read a lot more if I didn't waste my extra time with endless scrolling. At the end of the day, my free time is mine to waste. If I want to waste it by scrolling, that's my prerogative! If I had to work from 10 AM to 10 PM, I would feel a lot differently about how I used my time outside of work. I would have to use every waking hour for something essential, like cooking, washing, and cleaning. I wouldn't have any time for leisure during the week, and I'd have to adjust my schedule accordingly.
Losing two hours of free time can drastically change your daily schedule. The employee in this story was miffed when he found out his boss was adding two extra hours to his workday and more work on top of that. He doesn't want to act like an entitled young person who doesn't want to work, but he's understandably alarmed by new expectations thrust on him without more pay or even a conversation about whether he could handle it. His boss just expected him to go along with it, and he's probably not going to do that. He has other options.