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'They came in with a potbelly pig as their emotional support animal': 15+ crazy coworker stories

'They came in with a potbelly pig as their emotional support animal': 15+ crazy coworker stories

It doesn't matter what your line of work is. It doesn't matter if you work in an office, in a restaurant, in a warehouse, or remotely. Chances are you have dealt with an unruly and/or bizarre coworker. Perhaps in the moment, your experience with this person was a cringeworthy one. Perhaps it did not end well for you or for them. However, provided that you came out unscathed, you probably are grateful to have the story. Some of these coworkers range from the unethical to the strange. For instanc…
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'He got laid off. An hour into his first day': 10+ wild workplace stories as told by HR

'He got laid off. An hour into his first day': 10+ wild workplace stories as told by HR

We often talk about how HR is not your friend here on FAIL Blog. That being said, there are always good apples everywhere, and you know with certainty that some of these HR professionals have seen some wild stuff. It could be during the hiring process, when HR employees and hiring managers end up hearing some pretty ridiculous demands or inappropriate remarks from potential job candidates. It could be a crazy story from a boss or CEO, who has pretty backward standards when it comes to workplace…
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'Thank you so much for firing me': People share how they burned bridges on their last day of work

'Thank you so much for firing me': People share how they burned bridges on their last day of work

Some of us are people pleasers and could never imagine causing drama on our last day at a job, but others feel that they have nothing left to lose. Honestly, power to these individuals. I could never motivate myself to be that savage, even if I were completely in the right. I've been candid about the experience as a whole, certainly. If I have an exit interview, I do believe that affords employees on their way out with a healthy opportunity to professionally discuss the issues within their plac…
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'I just sent that to my entire team': Employee photoshops boss's face on photo of his entire family as a joke, then accidentally sends it to the whole team

'I just sent that to my entire team': Employee photoshops boss's face on photo of his entire family as a joke, then accidentally sends it to the whole team

There are some people in this world who would save themselves a whole lot of embarrassment if they just didn't have phones. Today, we're talking about the technologically incompetent folks who accidentally send the wrong message to the wrong person. These are the people who accidentally spoil surprises or reveal their true feelings to the very person they are insulting. We feel that this is a relatively common phenomenon that we can discuss freely and openly, especially considering that yours t…
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Update: 'I will not be following up': Boss asks employee to write impossible report before he leaves the company, employee proves it was a bad idea

Update: 'I will not be following up': Boss asks employee to write impossible report before he leaves the company, employee proves it was a bad idea

Most employees hope to be appreciated and valued while they're happily employed at a company, but the unfortunate reality of the working world is that employers often don't understand that value until they're about to lose you. When that happens, all of a sudden your contributions to the company seem so important that your bosses become increasingly afraid of what the workflow will be like in your absence. As we said, it's a very self-involved line of thinking, since you've been hoping for vali…
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'Professional sleeper': 20+ jobs that pay you to do literally nothing

'Professional sleeper': 20+ jobs that pay you to do literally nothing

Some people have dream jobs of running their own businesses or being extremely successful; others just want to do nothing for a living. It's not a crazy idea in this day and age. I mean, there are certainly people high up in the world who collect tons of money but have everyone else at their company do all the work. Why can't we lower-level employees aspire to be like this? You may consider this to be a lazy goal; we consider it to be ambitious. After all, there are not that many well-paying jo…
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'I remind him since he hasn't sent me the contract I don't work for him yet': Former boss tries to squeeze free labor out of ex-employee

'I remind him since he hasn't sent me the contract I don't work for him yet': Former boss tries to squeeze free labor out of ex-employee

Bosses never know what they've got until you're gone. This dude was one of those non-profit employers who assigned the amount of work a salaried employee would complete to an intern without paying them properly. That intern eventually pursued a career in a similar field and would go on to receive a graduate degree years later. Seven years following that joke of an internship, his former boss reached out and asked for his help with some grant writing. Now that OP worked regularly as an independe…
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reddit karma nepotism nepotistic director company boss manager sales salesman bid commission lowball experience office client customer building

'Give us a lower quote, or else': Karma comes for a nepotistic boss when he tries to pocket $10k in commission by promising his client a lowball offer; ends up losing $60k+ because of inexperience

When working on massive, expensive building projects, oftentimes, the office salesmen get a little too big for their britches because of the promise of a sweet commission check. In the heat of the moment, a greedy salesman might even throw out quotes and numbers that are vastly off-base in a desperate attempt to secure a client and pocket a little bonus check for themselves. However, things can go horribly wrong when that flippant boardroom negotiation actually hits the streets.
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'First day on the job, gave another coworker a wet-willy': 20+ stories where people got fired on day one

'First day on the job, gave another coworker a wet-willy': 20+ stories where people got fired on day one

Getting fired on your first day is no easy feat. Like many things in life, you have to work at it. You have to be so aggressively unsuited for your position or so unbelievably unprofessional that you're leaving your managers and everyone in HR with no other choice. Usually, people are very forgiving on the first day. Perhaps you did things differently at your old company and need some time to readjust to the standards of your organization. Perhaps you're not particularly well-versed in all the…
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'I'm firing you on the spot': Employees demand raises after seven years with the same pay, boss responds by firing all of them

'I'm firing you on the spot': Employees demand raises after seven years with the same pay, boss responds by firing all of them

Imagine working at the same company for seven years and getting fired the second you bring up the topic of a raise. Talk about a complete lack of respect for the loyalty these employees have shown to the company by staying all this time with no financial incentive to do so. The employee who filmed this video of his boss's tantrum shared that he and his coworkers merely asked politely for a meeting after learning that new employees were receiving higher wages. That meeting led to the conversatio…
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'I was still on the receiving end of pettiness':: Employee moves away from coworkers, they leave an urn on her desk with the message 'ashes of problem employees'

'I was still on the receiving end of pettiness':: Employee moves away from coworkers, they leave an urn on her desk with the message 'ashes of problem employees'

It's giving middle school behavior, not workplace professionalism. When it comes to office dynamics, it can be common for some healthy, playful teasing among coworkers. This kind of behavior is always risky, though, since there's a fine line between teasing and bullying. Furthermore, this is a work environment and not a friend group hangout. Teasing of any kind can be quickly misinterpreted. Now, when it comes to this group of terrible coworkers, we think it's crystal clear that this goes far b…
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'My colleagues are all 8am until 5:30pm. My contract is for 9 to 5pm': HR makes a mistake with new employee's contract, employee refuses to let them change it

'My colleagues are all 8am until 5:30pm. My contract is for 9 to 5pm': HR makes a mistake with new employee's contract, employee refuses to let them change it

If HR makes a mistake like this, that's on them, not the employee! Employees are expected to be diligent in their paperwork, so shouldn't we expect the same from our managers and HR staff when they're drafting our employment contracts? There are so many instances as employees where we are expected to own our mistakes and stick with them. Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to all the horrible bosses out there because folks, it's a two-way street! This thread was posted to Reddit by u/Ex…
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'No talk of raise, promotion, or even when they'd get a replacement': Coworker gets denied promotion, employee asked to take on their work without a raise, quits

'No talk of raise, promotion, or even when they'd get a replacement': Coworker gets denied promotion, employee asked to take on their work without a raise, quits

Let this story serve as a cautionary tale: always be sure to get the raise before you take on the extra work. This employee and their coworker learned that the hard way, though the coworker had a much harder time. Once upon a time, their team of three was a well-run machine. It was just the two of them and their manager, the work was well-divided, and everyone enjoyed a healthy separation between their job and their personal life. Eventually, their manager left for a better opportunity. Rather…
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'We had to pay fifty cents to use a K-Cup': 30+ Jobs with silly rules

'We had to pay fifty cents to use a K-Cup': 30+ Jobs with silly rules that drive the workers crazy

These people have the strangest rules at their jobs, from bosses who limit their water intake to one guy who needs to email someone just to find a pen. As they shared to r/AskReddit, these people answered: “What's the most ridiculous rule in your place of work?” Every job has it's own rules,
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Top Ten ‘HR Is Not Your Friend’ Stories

Top Ten ‘HR Is Not Your Friend’ Stories

We know that the HR team members are humans too, but that doesn't make us friends! You might be one of those working folks who has managed to successfully form friendship bonds with your coworkers. Perhaps you have a work spouse. Perhaps you occasionally grab a drink with your team outside of work hours. Perhaps you text each other memes and pop culture news every day. Obviously, this kind of friendship is necessary. You're spending more time with your coworkers than with most people in your li…
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'Tell me how you provide value to the organization': CEO confronts employees in the elevator as layoffs approach

'Tell me how you provide value to the organization': CEO confronts employees in the elevator as layoffs approach

Having a conversation with your CEO is not necessarily easy, especially if he's asking you to defend your presence at the company during an elevator ride.
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