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'This is literally hundreds of different customers orders': Nightmare boss tells factory worker to only run machines, worker decides to stop shipping orders for a whole week

This is such a satisfying story (for workers, not bosses). One employee shared this story from a company they used to love, but which quickly went sour after a merger . Despite what managers or HR want to tell you, mergers aren't often positive developments for the current employees. U/allgoodnamestaken98 writes that at the factory they were working at, a merger caused a great workplace to tank, all because three different managers were each trying to prove they were the best. This boss told hi…
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'I'll let it pile up': Senior employee instructs coworker to never touch her stuff, coworker agrees

'I'll let it pile up': Senior employee instructs coworker to never touch her stuff, cue malicious compliance

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…
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'I'd let the repercussions happen': Boss requests constant check-ins, employee sends '25 or more emails a day'

'I'd let the repercussions happen': Boss sabotages employees' workflow and demands constant check-ins, employee sends '25 or more emails a day'

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.
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'You want more details, here you go': IT team complies with micromanaging coworker's request to provide ‘details' for new system update; turns out 120 pages long

'You want more details, here you go': IT team complies with micromanaging coworker's request to provide ‘details' for new system update; turns out 120 pages long

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…
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'He was putting little notes in the DVD cases at Blockbuster': 25+ Employees who got fired on the spot

'He was putting little notes in the DVD cases at Blockbuster': 25+ Employees who got fired on the spot

There was a time when being fired was something to be ashamed of, but these days, companies love to hire and fire expeditiously. It's almost a rite of passage for those who work in retail or fast food. And if it doesn't happen to you, it'll certainly happen to one of your coworkers. The thing about customer service jobs is that you unfortunately have to serve customers, a lot of whom have no intentions of ever treating employees with respect. You're supposed to brush off their repeated insults,…
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'We can't work like this': Employees team up after boss docks 15 minutes pay from worker for being 1 minute late; productivity crumbles

'We can't work like this': Employees team up after boss docks 15 minutes pay from worker for being 1 minute late; productivity crumbles

When a boss tries to swing his weight around his employees, things can go south pretty quickly. One boss who was especially into micromanaging decided that if his workers were 1 minute late, then he would dock 15 minutes of their pay. He believed that this would lead to more productivity. Maybe he learned this approach in one of those faulty 'be a boss' courses, or maybe he took notes from his own former boss, but either way, this kind of thing is not gonna fly with construction workers. Trying…
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'The administrative tasks piled up, not that Karen noticed': Assistant manager insists employee 'print an MP4' file, employee spends hours completing her task

'The administrative tasks piled up, not that Karen noticed': Assistant manager insists employee 'print an MP4' file, employee spends hours completing her task

What would we ever do without receptionists ? These people keep the world running by doing all the organization and planning that keeps businesses afloat. CEOs and CFOs get the fancy titles and get to spend their time taking clients to glamorous lunches. They aren't the ones truly running the company, though. They may have the look of a person in power, but you know who's really in charge? The person who unlocks the doors each morning, keeps the office full of food and coffee, handles phone cal…
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'I am pretty sure my CEO has been stealing money': 30+ Employees and students share the dramas people can't stop talking about at their workplaces and schools

'I am pretty sure my CEO has been stealing money': 30+ Employees and students spill the juicy dramas people can't stop talking about

No workplace or school is without some drama, and we've got our popcorn buckets ready as we read these stories. Gossipy places aren't always the nicest to work at, but there will be some great stories. A little bit of drama can spice up any boring Thursday afternoon. Whether it's two coworkers who can't agree on the heat, or the entire office waiting for someone to have a meeting with HR, it certainly breaks up the monotony. I'm fascinated with the story of the office where no one could agree o…
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'They emailed me in a panic, begging me to stop': Intern sends dozens of emails to lawyers after boss refuses to let them use a flash drive

'They emailed me in a panic, begging me to stop': Intern sends dozens of emails to lawyers after boss refuses to let them use a flash drive

Interns are allowed to make mistakes over and over and over again. It's kind of just part of the job. As a young person in college, you want to get some valuable experience in your career field with an internship. But since you are still in college, and have probably never worked in an office setting before, you're just bound to mess things up. At least at this point in your not-yet-existing career, you're allowed to make a few mistakes in the name of learning and gaining experience. This perso…
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'Every conversation with her... leads back to her 5 cats': 25+ Workers who have had enough of "that guy" at their job

'Every conversation with her... leads back to her 5 cats': 25+ Workers who have had enough of "that guy" at their job

There's one in every office. Each business place has that one person who everyone else gives a side-eye to. They probably have some kind of personality quirk that irritates everyone. But it's the kind of thing that you can't go to HR for, because what is HR going to do about issues like “Tina is always breathing too loudly” or “Jack has been heating up three meals a day in the microwave and he lets the microwave count down to the beep each time”? These are minor issues, and we all have to live…
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‘Nobody at work is your friend’: Boss betrays a loyal employee, notifying him that he's fired by asking him to train his replacement

When an employee leaves a company, there's a duty-vacuum that opens up in their wake. All of the responsibilities that that employee once did are now left to the devices of those left behind. Usually, it's simply a nuisance until the higher ups hire someone new, but for some, that opens a door of opportunity into a promotion. Right?!
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'Not one of the complaints was suitable to be filed': Law firm partners insist lawyer rush through cases in 20 minutes, frustrated lawyer sends out 75 complaint cases 'with no edits whatsoever'

'Not one of the complaints was suitable to be filed': Law firm partners insist lawyer rush through cases in 20 minutes, frustrated lawyer sends out 75 complaint cases 'with no edits whatsoever'

This lawyer cares much more about their clients than their bosses do. Unfortunately for u/TheRealJohnGalt22, their bosses feel the opposite: forget about the clients, just run cases through as fast as humanly possible. In this work environment, partners at a law firm told one lawyer that they should take a “quantity not quality” approach to the complaints they needed to file. We all want to feel valuable and important at our jobs, and no one ever wants to hear that kind of language from a boss.…
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‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket': Data engineer earning below average is expected to do the work of 3 people, so he quits instead

‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket': Data engineer earning below average is expected to do the work of 3 people, so he quits instead

Management often concentrates all of their efforts on one area, meaning that they put the bulk of a couple of jobs onto one employee, risking it all. You have got to hand it to them, as it is quite brave of them to so boldly assume one person will WANT to take on so much responsibility, and then that they will be able to want to continue with it consistently. So the saying, ‘Don't put all your eggs in one basket' definitely applies here… One manager who (shocker) did not know how to do his job,…
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'The Engineering VP saw the price tag, and told us to just rent it': Engineers ask management to buy a crucial piece of equipment, management balks at high cost

'The Engineering VP saw the price tag, and told us to just rent it': Engineers ask management to buy a crucial piece of equipment, management balks at high cost

One company was going through growing pains, and it's workers were feeling the pinch. Most small businesses fail. Perhaps you've heard that old wisdom that nine out of ten startups don't even last more than a year or two. Only the companies that rise above are able to stick around, but even then, not every business is able to scale up. It's something that has to be done with caution. In this case, u/calladus shared that they were working for a company that went from being a tiny privately owned…
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‘Think about your team!’: Manager demands worker choose between job or grad school; worker quits

‘Think about your team!’: Manager demands worker choose between job or grad school; worker quits

Think about your team, the grouchy manager (who most certainly did not think of the team himself) bellowed. This was a simple manipulation tactic he liked to apply when employees got a little too 'independent'. What a generation, he must have thought while rolling his eyes. 'Dare ask for one shift a month off back in my day and you would have gotten fired.' Of course, these are all more or less my own assumptions that I am graciously applying to this situation… I don't actually know what was go…
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'You are in the middle of nowhere': CEO's nepo-baby son takes over remote workplace, insists maintenance workers drive 1200+ miles to change a lightbulb

'You are in the middle of nowhere': CEO's nepo-baby son takes over remote workplace, insists maintenance workers drive 1200+ miles to change a lightbulb

This story is like that old joke that goes, “How many people does it take to change a lightbulb?” There are a bajillion punchlines and variations of the joke.
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