Never go to HR to resolve a dispute between you and your manager; unless there are special circumstances, HR will likely side against you. The reasoning behind this is simple: HR is not there to be an objective mediator. They are there to protect the company at all costs. If that means sacrificing a few low-level employees at the company, then that's exactly what they will do. Of course, there are exceptions, and occasionally HR will fire managers but not because of their inappropriate behavior…

Typically when you accept a position, you and your new employer have agreed upon some set rules and expectations that neither party is meant to violate. In non-toxic work environments, we call this a contract. But in toxic work environments around the world, contracts tend to not matter to awful employers. When this happens, do not forget your power as an employee, even if you’re a new employee, to stand your ground. This thread was posted to Reddit by u/marora25 , who was hired primarily as a…

Did I miss the memo or is everyone embellishing their resumes these days? I understand the concept of editing your resume to make it more tailored to a specific job you're hoping to get. For instance, if you're applying for a job in social media and you want to be sure your CV is highlighting your actual experience in that field, you might edit your resume so that you can go into greater detail on that subject. That being said, fabricating degrees and prior experience is something that is far t…

Company Holiday gifts should flow down the chain, not upward to management. Employees are pressured to take on extra duties and responsibilities all the time under the sometimes false promises of promotions and rewards. So after an entire year of that pressure, how is it this common that employees might then be doubly pressured to pitch in money to give a gift to their boss? I suppose if this kind of gift-giving were reciprocated, that would be slightly more acceptable. I suppose if it were man…

There are a lot of reasons not to hire a potential candidate, and on the other side of that coin, there are a lot of reasons why a candidate shouldn't pursue a role. Certainly, if the other party isn't willing to follow (or capable of following) basic etiquette and decorum, that's a pretty good sign that the ensuing relationship isn't going to be a bountiful one. In a world where much of our communication takes place in non-verbal written mediums, it's important to remember that it's incredibly…

Who wants to work at a company that can't even get their training program to work? Let's go a step further. Who wants to work at a company that blames new employees for their total dysfunction and lack of organization? Although the circumstances of this employee's dismissal were certainly not ideal, it's fair to say that they dodged a bullet early and that it's better this way. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit, and folks in the comments section were quick to add suggestio…

The ways in which the Holidays creep into the workplace can result in completely unwanted behavior from coworkers and managers. This can manifest itself at Holiday parties, and in this case, Christmas decoration competitions. This Redditor shared their story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit, chronicling how every year, the various departments at their office participate in a decorating competition. This sounds fun in theory, but in practice, it's just extra work. OP w…

Here's a friendly reminder that giving two weeks' notice is a courtesy, not a requirement. And if you are met with anger or resistance or any unwanted tension from your employer during those final two weeks, you have absolutely no obligation to stay. This tech worker at a dealer learned that the hard way after being poached by a rival dealer. He was fully transparent to his boss that if the other owner accepted his asking wage, he would consider it but would give his current boss the opportunit…

Thirst traps on LinkedIn and now job recruiters on Tinder? What on this gosh green earth will we come across next? It's almost as if we've stepped out of the bounds of reality and now are hurtling forward on some alternative bizarro timeline in which the rules of the universe have been completely flip-flopped.

Someone make sure this employee is getting in touch with a lawyer ASAP. If you are new to the workforce, please take this unsolicited advice from this group of complete non-experts here at FAIL Blog: do not ever let your boss try to pressure you into signing a resignation letter. If you have or have ever had a boss try to get away with this nonsense, please know that they could not be more transparent in their ridiculous attempts to get out of providing any unemployment compensation. Now, there…

Candidate assignments during the interview process are a constant source of derision in online discussions. While we frequently rant against them, it's logical to reason that there is some reasonable requirement for an employer to be certain that their new hire is capable of doing the job and that they're not likely to become a sticky cog or a liability. Thus, interview assignments make sense to the extent that they test a candidate's aptitude in the knowledge and skills required to do the job.

I've written about this same premise quite a few times in the annals of Fail Blog, but any time your boss is accusing you of doing something despite there being no evidence—and especially when the evidence shows quite the opposite—it's more than likely that they're just projecting their own personality flaws, predispositions, and hidden thoughts. Basically, they're just admitting that if they were in your position, they would be doing the same thing they're accusing you of.

Managers who make a big fuss over small mistakes should be careful. Otherwise, they might end up losing all their employees one by one. No one is saying that being detail-oriented on the job is not important. Of course, it's important. But there's a way to motivate employees to pay attention to those details without making them feel like nothing they do is correct. Moreover, it's also equally important (if not more so) to empower your employees and make them feel welcome, at the very least. Her…

Some managers spend way too much time micromanaging than getting anything productive done. We all know what it's like to have a manager who seemingly has made it their only job to watch you like a hawk. Perhaps that intense vigilance is just in your head… just kidding, you're probably not wrong. Most people with authority like to spend more time flexing that authority than using it for good. In fact, when I have found myself in a position like this employee, I don't even care if the manager use…

The infamous sibling rivalry. Where rules are off the table – you're free to unleash the nastiest remarks without a hint of remorse, and maybe even throw a few vengeful punches. It's the kind of fighting only siblings can endure. You can't get away with such antics in the real world, but your sibling? Well, they're stuck with you, so they've got no choice but to take it.

One thought consistently haunts my brain, and that is you never know who might end up being your boss in the future… Karen from accounting who you suspect has taken your lunch at least seven times? You never know. It's not like upper management consists of the brightest crayons in the box… The proof is in the pudding with that one. This employee shared her own micromanager horror story on Reddit and explained the various ways in which her manager would make her feel like NOTHING she did was rig…