Divulging personal aspects about yourself in the workplace can be a pathway to forming stronger bonds and close-knit relationships—or it can be used against you the next time your performance review comes around. The reality is that your work time is for work, and your own time is—well, your own. But, in a modern “always online” world that's fueled by instant communication and where some employers want to squeeze their workers for every last drop of productivity, this line becomes increasingly…

Toxic managers have one thing in common: Their belief that their authority is absolute . It's almost as if they think it's impossible for anyone ever to leave them, acting like workers will continue to put up with the most dreadful working conditions and their abhorrent behavior for the rest of their careers. So, of course, they're completely blindsided when their most pivotal workers hand in their notice, with the news sending them scrambling to figure out how they're going to maintain the con…

You know it's going to be a juicy discussion when the user has deleted their account within hours of posting a viral thread… This worker landed themself a new job, working remotely , that offered them higher pay and greater responsibility. They found themself with little to do initially, which they found to be a little strange, but seeing as this isn't uncommon in a lot of jobs, which often allow workers to ease into their role, leaving additional tasks to be picked up as the worker gets into t…

It's often the case that an employer won't react well to an employee's departure, taking their act of leaving as an insult and personal affront. Even if the relationship was supposedly left on good terms, it won't be long before the departing worker's name brings nothing but derision. Should they return to the workplace, they'll find, that despite being a top performer at the company during their time there, they have been turned into a scapegoat with their name being used to lay blame on anyth…

There will be times in the workplace when you'll really enjoy what you're doing, tasks seem effortless, time flows seamlessly, and results are rewarding. There will also be times when the exact opposite holds true, and every moment spent at work is excruciating. Sometimes, you'll relish the tasks your boss hands to you, whereas other tasks will make you want to gouge out your own eyes. But occasionally—rarely—throughout the course of your career, there will be tasks you'll be asked to complete…

Verbal reprimands are usually a sign of a toxic workplace… with screaming, yelling, or explosive tantrums from your boss being a sure sign that you should start looking for a new place to work. Now, that doesn't mean that every piece of feedback falls under this category. Sure, it might not feel great when your boss tells you you've made a mistake or that you need to up your game… even if the Chief Executive answers to someone and feedback is literally just a part of the job. It can get confusi…

Being a young and inexperienced worker entering the workforce for the first time is a harder experience than most of us are willing to admit—or even remember. For one thing, your lack of demonstratable experience and the lack of perceived skills that go with it will often leave you drawing the short stick when it comes to your tasks within the team, regardless of your actual capabilities. I can't help but feel that the biggest change that happens as you age is that other people perceive you dif…

Oftentimes, when starting a new role, it doesn't end up being quite what you'd imagined. Delusions of grand inspiration fade like a mirage in the desert in the face of the reality of menial tasks and repetitive labor. After all, as we're consistently proclaiming, an interview is a two-way street, and the company is trying to sell themselves to the most desirable candidate they can get—often for as low of a price as possible—just as much as the candidates are trying to sell themselves to the com…

Generally, your working life, including everything that comes with it, is reserved for—well, work—including your laptop, phone, and such that your employer has provided for you. By contrast, your personal stuff is for your own personal use, and that's why it's—well, personal. There are very obvious things you should and shouldn't use each device for, and those things should be kept separate. Sure, these lines can blur and often will—after all, not everything is black and white.

Some workplaces function as if they're kindergarten classrooms and as if the employees are children who are incapable of making their own decisions and undeserving of self-determination. It's insulting, really, when you work in one of these places where constant oversight and continual encroachment into what freedoms remain are a part of everyday policies. Existing completely devoid of agency saps any empowerment employees feel and, over time, will make them less motivated in their jobs. Of cou…

Workplaces that rely on scheduled shift work often have an unhealthy obsession with said schedule, holding it in as paramount even when it extends out of the bounds of sanity or reason. Things like scheduled leave, availability—or, as it turns out, even being fired—have little importance when it comes to a scheduled shift… If it's on the schedule, you'd better be there no matter what. Managers who aggressively adhere to this schedule often act as if it were scripture passed to them from a highe…

Carrots on sticks dangled too long in front of you soon stop serving as motivation and instead turn into an inescapable torment. An ever-present reminder that you'll never get anywhere in this place. It's hard not to feel demoralized when you've been putting in extra effort to help your company and/or achieve record numbers and profits, only to get nothing in return to reward you for your efforts. Of course, it's foolish to do more than your job description requires under a thin promise that yo…

For some reason, employers become extremely cynical whenever their employees need a day off work, even if the cause given is something extremely plausible (and statistically likely), such as the contraction of the flu during the height of flu season. It's almost as if it's a projection of the employer what they themself would do if placed in the employee's position. “Surely,” [Employer] reasons. “[Worker] must be making it up to skip out on their work duties.” For they, too, would have done so…

Usually, when we negotiate leave dates when starting a new job, we'd expect those dates to be honored—not thrown to the wayside as soon as we're locked into our employment. After all, that's all part of the bargaining process, and once a bargain is struck, every agreed-upon detail becomes the foundation for the rest of the relationship. This worker shared how their extended family goes on a trip every year, this time with a significant personal reason motivating the trip, and they've already bo…

In today's edition of “We offer no flexibility but expect flexibility from you in return."

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…