Sounds like they didn't bother to do that though. And I have been in a situation where you are 'on call' like this, since you have to be 'at work' and are getting paid, you just work with it. I'd cook dinner, with laptop in kitchen. Or you setup a movie on another machine and mute your mic, or read a book, fold laundry, play with the kids, setup email and phone forwarding etc.
Also there is no guarantees that work gets promotion. And you don't wait 10 years, you get a lawyer the first year and sue for constructive dismissal