Respect begets respect—and flexibility begets flexibility. It's no surprise that as in the old adage of ‘The Golden Rule' along with so many other maxims, if we treat others with esteem they'll be far more likely to do the same. In the context of the modern workplace, this comes into play with a surprising frequency. Say, if a member of the team you're managing needs to leave early one day for an appointment or to take care of a personal errand, not making an issue of this means that they're go…

Always be careful with what you tell your coworkers, especially if you're the office Karen. Even a small ounce of self-awareness would lead this office Karen (whose actual name is Agnes… even better) to realize that if she keeps threatening to quit, the concept of leaving will soon become a dangling carrot for everyone else. Eventually, her fake quitting shenanigans caught up with her, and one coworker decided to call her out. Well, they didn't exactly call her out. Instead, they informed every…

It's always hard to quit a job, but it feels worse to drop a job that you've been looking forward to starting because you have to give up one. No one prepares you for the whole process of putting in your two weeks with your current employer. After the awkward conversation, you then have to work 14 uncomfortable days with your coworkers who already know you're leaving to work somewhere else. But it's really not that personal.

Of all the reasons to get kicked out of a country , this might be the most embarrassing. No vacation goes 100% perfectly—there are always a few hiccups. There are the tiny things, like planning to visit a popular spot, only to find out when you arrive that it's closed for the day. Then there are bigger issues, like that one family member who forgets their passport at home, and remembers once they're at the airport. It's not every day you encounter problems like this, though. A traveler got depo…

Every so often, you find yourself in a situation where you call a specific outcome from a mile away. This can be a friend's future divorce, a coworker getting fired, or an infuriating neighbor getting their overdue comeuppance. When these outcomes finally come to fruition, it can be oh so tempting to blurt out, “I told you so.” Of course, this kind of sassy remark is almost never constructive, but sometimes, you just can't help yourself. As I always say, if everyone in the world listened to me,…

A good old-fashioned dramatic quitting can really boost morale. When times are already rough at the workplace, watching someone quit with flair can feel so righteous. Most people don't quit on the spot. Even if it seems like they're doing that, usually the resentment has been building for some time. There's that common saying that people don't quit bad jobs, they leave due to bad management. Over time, having a micromanaging boss or a supervisor who continually berates you really wears an emplo…

Be careful what you wish for, Karen! If you're the type of person who sends a drink back at a drive thru, let's clarify a few things first, starting with what are you asking for. If it's a major modification to the menu or an innocent mistake, perhaps reconsider, especially if the line behind you lasts an eternity. This is not a Michelin star restaurant; it's a drive thru. Second of all, remember the old “you get what you get and you don't get upset” saying? That doesn't just apply to your kid,…

As we shake our fists to the wind, sometimes we wish that reckless drivers would be reminded of the perils of the road when they endanger everyone else around them… Sometimes we wish that karma would just take the wheel.

No more delusions of grandeur for the people in this economy.

Loopholes can be so sweet. This former department head now knows this all too well after they gained more than two weeks PTO! Reorganizations aren't usually a positive sign. No matter how much the company insists that workers won't be impacted, they'll all feel the differences in some way. At this university, a reorganization caused the loss of several highly-trained personnel. That's an issue in a specific field, and a major loss for a university. But when the only thing that matters is “pinch…

Focusing intently on petty mistakes and slights is a surefire way to make sure you miss the big picture. As a leader, this is a fantastic way to make your workers feel like they're being micromanaged and have no agency, potentially derailing the entire organization along with the workers' sinking morale. Sure, if someone isn't pulling their weight it makes sense to step in, but when your team member is late back from lunch one time after coming in sometimes hours early, you'd do well to cut the…

Car troubles can make people crazy. When there's a rattling under the hood or the engine light comes on (again), it's hard to keep your cool and stay level-headed. However, this guy in our next story completely unraveled when his car was “malfunctioning”, but instead of consulting his mechanic friend for help, he dug his heels in on a totally incorrect theory.

No one likes to feel like they are being watched at all times, especially by your boss. Sure, a manager has a responsibility to ensure that the employees on their team are fulfilling their roles; however, there is never a need to watch someone's every move. Not only is that weird, but it's also a waste of time and energy. Nine times out of ten, bosses who spend all that time micromanaging could have used that time to for a million other more important priorities. But that's the thing about auth…

Some customers will try anything to get free stuff, going as far as to make employees working in customer service cry. I mean, if you're working in customer service, chances are you've sobbed your heart out at one point or another, whether from frustration or at the absolutely shocking behavior some people portray because you happen to have a nametag stapled to your shirt. People are the worst. This couple was obviously trying out some elaborate scam in order to get comped for their meal. They…

It didn't take long after leaving a job before this employee began plotting their revenge . If your boss cost you roughly $10,000, you'd probably feel the same way! As you rise through the ranks of your career, you might spot opportunities to prove yourself. Maybe your boss is going on vacation, and they ask you to keep an eye on things until they're back. Or maybe your supervisor wants you to take on extra responsibilities to help you better understand the industry. Employees will often take o…

For once, the ruthless folks of the internet sided with a potentially entitled rich kid. What backward universe are we living in? Well, it turns out the only thing worse than clueless, entitled kids are their clueless, entitled parents. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/AmITheA**hole subreddit by u/Odd_Emotion662 , a young man whose sister got to have an extravagant party for her 18th birthday. Clearly, the original poster got it in his head that when he turned 18, he would get similar treat…