Movies always portray holiday office parties to be like some sort of frat party—wild, chaotic, and anything-goes-vibe with no consequences! But the reality of it is that it it not only can be an HR nightmare, the employees might not even be enjoying the “festivities." A reddit thread has come together where employees are sharing their views on holiday office parties and the dos and don'ts. When it comes down to it, everyone agrees it depends on your workplace environment. You're not going to wa…

We're glad the internet exists, but before that, we spent a lot more time in libraries. Even today's kids still hang out at libraries , in case you were wondering. It's lovely to see parents reading to their kids, librarians hosting story hours for toddlers who won't sit still, and families checking out a dozen books for them and the kiddos. Some things never change. The library-going experience for today's kids is usually about fun, though. Most kids will never have to worry about going to the…

Everyone had a fantasy in high school of running into their arch-enemy years later and showing them how much better they are now. Here's the thing, though: running into that person years down the road is never exactly what one expects the encounter to be. Even if one's dream has come true and that person is a total wreck. The experience of running into them can range from cringeworthy to petty to wholesome… as evidenced by these stories, which were shared to this r/AskReddit thread. Some of the…

These coworkers are at an impasse, it would seem. In some workplaces, peoples' competitive nature can be a positive. When employees are competing to gain clients or meet a financial target, that can make the bonds between workers stronger. It helps to grow camaraderie, and a sense of purpose as you work those same 40 hours each week. Other offices have a different dynamic: employees start to work against each other. This can happen for numerous reasons---for example, having a toxic boss breathi…

Can you imagine needing to scratch your shopping itch so badly that you had to dip into your child's college fund? It doesn't get much more desperate than that, not to mention risky. I mean, if you're willing to go there, you're willing to sacrifice your future relationship with your kid, all for a pair of shoes you'll probably wear twice or three times a year. Thankfully, this shocking revelation and the difficult consequences for the family at the center of it all did not stop the daughter fr…

This story takes an unexpected turn when a woman discovers her seemingly perfect boyfriend is still involved with his ex-girlfriend. When the two women contacted each other, something about the ex-girlfriend's personality reminded the OP of some gifts her boyfriend had given her. So, she decided to ask the ex if she was missing anything. She was. She was missing the exact items that the OP had received from her boyfriend as a “gift”. But then, it's gets worse.

Professional… What does acting in a professional manner actually entail? At a certain age, probably around our early twenties, we are expected to stop acting like children, step it up, and start acting in a manner befitting our age. But wait, who exactly decides whether my behavior is appropriate and should be celebrated or whether my behavior should be condemned? Yeah, that's what I thought, no one knows. Behaviors are attributed to cultures and social environments, therefore, a social outcast…

This boss claimed to be “old school,” but in reality, he was just creating a toxic work environment. You'll probably encounter toxic bosses at some point in your career. You'd think to be a manager, you'd have to prove your communication skills are on point. But no. Instead, this boss manages to make every conversation and task as arduous as possible.

Some people are blessed with micromanaging coworkers who don't want them to get ahead and will go as far as to actively attempt to make them look bad so that they will stay in the same position for years, if not forever. That allows these mini micromanagers to get what they want, whether it's a promotion, a good reputation, or simple satisfaction that other people are as miserable as they are. If I had a penny for every time I met someone at work who was keen to throw others under the bus… This…

When you're making peanuts to the company dollar, it's devastating to find out that you're not only survivng on meager pay, but your hard work is actually lining the pockets of the higher ups. As companies continue to ride the coattails of their employees, the work force is becoming more fed up with the inbalances, but managerial positions simply don't understand why ‘nobody wants to work anymore’. Well, to all the tenured office Karens out there, nobody wants to do the work of 3 people for a f…

When you get fired, usually you have an idea of what went wrong… even if it wasn't necessarily your fault. But here, we have an instance in which an employee was told they violated so many rules and genuinely had no clue what was meant by that. After some investigating, they discovered that a manager had it out for them ever since the employee refused to break a customer's large bill four months ago. Talk about a particularly specific vendetta to hold against someone! While I personally have ne…

Ahh… the holiday season, a time of year best spent with family and loved ones over incredible meals and through the sharing of thoughtful gifts. With images of bright, cheery, rosy-cheeked faces, Christmas lights, and decorations—maybe a little snow and mistletoe—it's a joyful time intended to bring out the human spirit, gratitude, and goodwill. Well, it should be no surprise to any of us that these optimistic ideas don’t meld well with workplaces. Stark grey walls with hard, cheap furniture. G…

Sometimes big problems require simple solutions. This seemed to be the case in the entitled couple vs small bookstore story we came across on Reddit. The bookstore employee recalls an older couple who oozed entitlement so much in the establishment that it ruined the comfort of big comfy chairs for everyone. This couple would come in, never by anything, but would sit in the only two big comfy chairs all day long, cut the line to demand free hot water, and even kick their feet up on the table SHO…

We've all run into the frustration of trying to reserve a room at a good rate, only for the hotel to be completely booked on the dates you wanted. It's a bummer for sure, but it's not the end of the world. You booked too late, so you need to find other accommodations. But would you book a room that's too small to accommodate your party and expect an upgrade upon check-in? Free of charge? Well, that's precisely what this Karen thought would happen.

The holiday season is a time to be with your family… unless you have to deal with these uppity in-laws. This family seemingly prioritizes tradition over kindness, and u/seriouslampshade was having none of it. In so many Christmas TV specials and movies, the message is clear: the holidays aren't about buying tons of stuff, they're about spending time with the people you love most. But apparently this person's in-laws never got that message . They're way more concerned with the way their gifts to…

It's perfectly normal to forget someone's name the second or third time you run into them socially, but this lady seemed to be doing it on purpose. Not only did she always make a point about not remembering the Redditor's name, but she seemed perfectly capable of remembering OP's husband. It's the kind of social interaction that seems fishy. If this lady only saw OP with her husband, why would she always make a point of remembering the husband and treating OP like she was invisible? While I hav…