Bureaucratic bean-counting threatens every employee's work-life balance, for none more than the traveling salesmen of the world. To be totally frank, there's always a disconnect between the bean-counters of a company and the footmen because financial decisions are made in an office whereas the salespeople are out there in the trenches. The man in the field can see a bit more clearly than the man on the sidelines...

Yes, the schedule. The cornerstone, the Monolith, of shiftwork… Obey the schedule—lest you find yourself at odds with some angry shift manager who quotes its existence at you like scripture. Managers love a good schedule, and they also like complaining about that schedule and blaming the schedule for all of their problems—even when they're the ones who made it. If they schedule you for a shift you couldn't normally work, all of a sudden, it's “It's on the schedule,” “I've posted the schedule.”…

Some customers prefer to learn by experience, rather than listen to the waitstaff who know what they're talking about. This customer chose that route, and was quite displeased with her experience. You can't please everyone, which is especially true when it comes to food service gigs. No matter how long you've been waiting tables, there will always be those customers who ruin their own day by not understanding what they're ordering. Some customers will order a burger, then get upset because this…

Annual performance reviews are just all-around ‘meh’, but if you have some beef with your boss, it's even worse. OP had just that — a performance review that they weren't exactly looking forward to. Their boss took the opportunity to criticize their ability to keep track of and finish simple tasks. The company didn't invest in a task management solution, and OP was finding it hard to go off a massive email chain when as it turns out, between the 30 people who were CC'd, 25 didn't know the diffe…

Making your workers prove themselves by jumping through hoops in order to get a raise—like a monkey, giraffe, or any other suitable hoop-jumping animal—is a surefire way to ensure your monkey starts looking elsewhere for a new gig where there aren't any hoop-jumping requirements. In that same vein, it has often been said that your work (and your monkey's work) speaks for itself. That is true… until you corner your boss about a discussion about a long overdue raise. Suddenly, the work you've don…

Imagine your boss announcing to the whole company that you're leaving them when you're not. And imagine your boss did this after you put in more effort than anyone else on your team on this new upcoming project, only to be replaced on the project by unqualified coworkers. This Redditor was completely blindsided by their boss and was taken aback when their apparent “departure” was announced at the company meeting. It turns out that it wasn't even an unceremonious firing at all. The reason why sh…

It's tough to resist the delicious treats and snacks in the break room. Whether it's because the snackies are free or because the boredom of the workplace can immediately be staunched by a delectable cinnamon roll, but it's dangerous to anyone's diet to be exposed to sugary goodness for 8 hours every day. In this case, one employee weaponized the desserts in the office...

Memes to scroll while you hide from your manager on your lunch break

Crawling out of the woodwork, clawing and muttering, at the slightest potential of securing the smallest amount of wealth, estranged relatives and old acquaintances come calling, feeling out avenues for any possible gain like vultures closing in on a fresh carcass where the lion still feeds. There's this thing that happens whenever there is money to be had that really brings out the worst people and the worst in people; if you've ever come into a sudden amount of wealth or handled the estate of…

We all have that one coworker who just gets on everyone's last nerve. There are many reasons for this, and the people replying to this question have some great examples. One Redditor had a question: “That annoying coworker --- what does he/she keep doing?” More than 15,000 people wrote in with their own answers, and some of the funniest and most entertaining are included below.

Summer may have some people out and about, but that also means that the Karens of the world are ready to make a scene. As we all know, they tend to love a public setting to throw their tantrums. They often request to speak to the manager, and they always seek out preferential treatment. They also love causing grief for their neighbors or making assumptions about strangers or matters they couldn't possibly understand. After all, the world does revolve around the Karens of the universe. How can w…

“I thought I was muted,” this remote worker admitted.

Never count on your boss to give you the emotional support that you need. This employee was having a particularly difficult time working with another manager, who happened to be responsible for numerous staff members quitting. When the Redditor finally had enough as well, they decided to give their notice to their boss, with whom they normally have a healthy and professional relationship. However, when that meeting finally happened, OP was disappointed to see that the boss did not seem to care…

So long are the days when dreaming about starting your career was fun and exciting instead of stressful and competitive. Remember when us millennials were raised to think we could grow up to be anything we wanted? I clearly remember telling my kindergarten teacher that I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up and she totally fanned that flame—even though I was still struggling on spelling my own name… What a wondrous and magical time. Now, as an adult, you're attaching your resume to apply to…

"Thoust not wearing coverings on thy feet shalt not passeth judgment on thy neighbor's shoulders." While I'm not entirely sure that this was actually a commandment or part of any other religious-moral imperative, it probably should have been… Definitely a missed chance there somewhere—that's all I'm saying. Still, whether or not it was written in stone, it seems pretty obvious that you shouldn't be complaining about what your coworkers are wearing while your dogs are currently nestled and cozy…

Despite being a hard worker, this employee just didn't have what it took to get a promotion . They old saying goes that hard work pays off , but that isn't always the case. In some jobs, you can work as hard as you possibly can, clocking in overtime hours or covering multiple jobs for other people. Unless you have a management team that plans to move you up, all that hard work won't matter at all. In fact, your boss might appreciate your hard work, and decide you're so good at getting things do…