Being overworked and understaffed, working long hours at odd hours, is no way to live your life. Still, many of us are doing so in order to eke out a living in this wild world. It can even seem manageable while you're in it, grinding out the hours to keep up with an ever-increasing workload to keep the bossman happy while seasonal demand runs its course or to cover for that vacant role that they've yet to see fit to fill. The reality is, by trying to do the right thing and keep everyone happy,…

People will always be willing to better their own situation at the expense of others, whether it's that guy in front of you who sees fit to recline his seat for the entirety of a 15-hour flight despite having no one in front of or next to him, or something like cutting a queue in traffic or manipulating the schedule so that they don't have to work a shift that they find to be inconvenient. Everyone's the hero of their own story, so they, of course, won't see themselves as doing anything wrong.…

When you actually like the place you work and can tolerate the people you work with, it's easy to reason that going into an office once in a while might present some benefit. But if you're being forced to go into an office where no one talks to each other (except under duress) just to do all of your work alone in an isolated room and all your meetings over Zoom anyway… It's easy to scratch your head and wonder what the point of all this really is. This worker shared how their employer made the…

Hiring—especially in the way it's usually conducted—is not an exact science. There's a whole lot of speculation and social shadowboxing going on with elaborately constructed facades masking true personalities in order to seem more put together and desirable according to the bizarre decorum of the entire process. The entire thing is based more on “vibes” than any concrete Superstition seems to reign on both sides of the interview table, with everyone having their own tricks. Even the most well-i…

When you're in charge, it's pretty important that you follow your own rules, drinking the Kool-Aid that you've set out for everyone else to drink. Anything else would be hypocritical at best, causing dissension and demotivating those you're supposed to be leading and generally just setting a bad example. Conversely, being consistent and fair in your leadership helps foster a culture of accountability; by holding yourself to the same standards you've set for everyone else, you demonstrate the in…

Taking time off work is probably just as important as the work itself. Being able to step away, take a break, and come back with a new perspective will likely benefit your work—besides, you've earned it. Although, of course, what you'll often find happens is that the freedom and relaxation your vacation offers you makes returning to work even more difficult than it already is on a normal Monday. Being denied the chance to take leave can mean missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, fami…

There are always going to be certain things that are best off communicated to only their intended audience. For example, you'd probably hate to accidentally send your parents a text detailing your weekend plans with your friends or other intimate details about another personal relationship. No matter what age you are or how close you are to your parents, certain things are better off left undisclosed. The same goes for an employee-employer relationship. Professional decorum relies on certain th…

Unless the issues being raised are completely out of left field and hold no water, an organization should always treat them seriously. Even purely as a means of covering themselves from any legal or operational vulnerabilities. Being dismissive or even retaliatory against a complainant might make the headache or “problem” of them calling attention to it go away, but there's a good chance that their fears coming to fruition and the ensuing grievance will be much more of a headache than dealing w…

Things took a turn for the worse for these coworkers who were supposedly friends. The older coworker thought he was being treated unfairly due to, in his words, refusing to adopt a "woke liberal mentality." Mind you, this is a dispute over electric cars. The Original Poster (OP) has an electric car himself. His coworker's designated parking spot used to be all the way in the back of the lot despite the man using a cane. So, the OP decided to switch his spots because he was right in front of t...

One day, you're going to quit your job—and that's a fact… Whether it's over a disagreement, for relocation, for growth—or because you're leaving the workforce for good. When that time comes, it will be up to you (mostly) on what terms you want to leave on. Do you want to leave on good terms, possibly even despite long-held grudges? Or do you want to set the world ablaze—full scorched earth policy—burning every bridge behind you as you go? This worker shared the resignation they were planning on…

Normally, you might expect that being the best at something means that you'll be effectively the first selected, akin to it being a race, and by being simply being undisputed best, you would, of course, be the one to win. Well, that's not how races or any competitions work, and it's the reason they're held in the first place, and the prize isn't just awarded to the person who currently holds whatever record is most relevant… There are so many other factors and things that can happen on the day…

While it might be tempting to wait out an impending layoff or quit rather than stomach unfair treatment or the foul nature of your egotistical boss… Without a doubt, the best time to find a new job is when you're still employed. You'll be undoubtably less stressed due to more financial stability allowing you to be more selective and find the right role. During interviews this feeling of security allows you to come across more confidently, which apart from making you more likely to get another r…

Being faced with the brutal decision of whether or not you'll take a demotion or be fired is not easy and it's an even harder choice to make. It would be easy to just want to up and walk away rather than face the humiliation demotion. But, unless you're in a secure financial position and have a lot of connections in your industry, you'll probably want to consider taking the demotion while you quietly go about looking for another job. After all, there's no better time to look for a job than when…

There's nothing worse than having the serenity of a good (or at least tolerable) job disrupted by a terrible new boss, whether it's an external hire who doesn't seek to understand the organization and it's processes before changing them or an internal promotion who has a chip on their shoulder and a grudge against their former colleagues. There's not much you can do when faced with them except grin and bear it—or you can do what this worker did and walk off the job rather than tolerating your b…

Appearance is important when it comes to your working life—well, really any time you're relying heavily on first impressions and social perception. It's an unfortunate fact that remains one all the same: The book is often judged by its cover. This extends past basic aesthetics of dress and into body language and the way we communicate, giving others a wholly inaccurate impression of our trustworthiness and competency for a role or task. To make matters worse, everyone has their own understandin…

Mistakes and bad decisions happen, it's just a part of the decision making process. As Thomas Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb, famously said, “'I have not failed, but found 1000 ways to not make a light bulb." The quote and attribution varies, but it's usually something along those lines. And that remains true, you don't know and can't learn until you pick a direction and try, but where this becomes an issue is when people and organizations obstinately refuse to course correct, refusing t…