Time, in a sense, is a resource that we spend doing different things, which is why when we talk about “spending time” on something, there's a literal sense to it. Through the sheer course of its slow march, the way we spend our time through the things we do, the things we think about, and the way we prioritize our responsibilities and personal interests goes on to shape who we become, what we know and what skills we possess. It might be a facile generalization, but for those familiar, I like to…

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…

It's hard to escape the conversation surrounding AI and the growing likelihood that we may soon find our jobs replaced by it. Yet, while some have attempted it, most seem to be falling short of success. While AI is proven to be effective at handling superfluous and repetitive work, it doesn't yet understand the subtlety and nuance of specific tasks, often lacking necessary details or fabricating information and then confidently reporting it as fact. So, at the very least, even where there is ef…

"The customer is always right" is an attitude that is purveyed throughout customer service... People will love to remind you at this point that one full attribution of the original quote is also reported as being “The customer is always right in matters of taste” meaning that or that customer service representatives should seek “to satisfy the customer regardless of whether the customer is right or wrong.” Both lend to the idea that the customer is not necessarily right about all things, just a…

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…

When working in healthcare, you see people from all walks of life. From insanely rich folk to the homeless, medical mysteries to hypochondriacs, you never know what another day at the office will hold for you. Luckily for us, these doctors shared their wildest stories about patients who had such little common sense, they were surprised they survived this long. Sure, most of us don't know a lot when it comes to the medical field, but there are some basics we should know, like no, you cannot su...

Once I had a very incompetent coworker who was just the nicest person to walk the face of the earth. Seriously, it was so hard to be angry at her for not doing her job well because she was always so chipper and thoughtful. Much like Lucy in this story. One employee took to r/talesfromtechsupport to share a story about their coworker, Lucy, who began working as a HelpDesk technician at a financial company. They did password resets, fixed Windows issues, and basically did all of the tech stuff re…

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…

Every job becomes tedious over time, especially if you're working 72 hours a week. But which jobs in particular are the worst to work at, and why? Employees get candid in a Reddit thread when asked this exact question. If you were to ask me, I'd say that working in the customer service industry is the worst. Long hours, meh pay, power tripping bosses are all a recipe for disaster. Oh, and don't forget the rowdy and entitled customers who honestly, need to check themself before they go out in pu…

When you're at work, there are some topics you don't discuss in a professional setting. Sure, you can gossip all you want to your work bestie, but if you're in a meeting or any other situation with a large group of coworkers, you should probably play it safe and keep the controversial topics to yourself. We all know this, but sometimes there are those certain coworkers who have absolutely no problem asking the most absurd questions, putting you in an awkward situation as you try to compose your…

Oftentimes, a little push is the only thing it takes to topple the facade of power presented by someone abusing it. They want you to think there's nothing you can do to circumvent their authority, but they forget that they're just managing an IT department at a medical center, and their authority really isn't all that far-reaching at all. So that one little push (or notifying their boss) is all it takes to reveal the man behind the curtain. This IT worker was responsible for issuing equipment t…

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…

One of the most respected ways to lead is from the front. Of course, you may be the first one to catch an arrow or a spear to the throat—dooming everyone who was relying on your command and is now floundering, leaderless. But, if you pull it off and make it through the battle unscathed you can sure as heck bet that the troops will love you far more than they would had you been in your command tent at the back of the field. The difference here and the limitation of this anecdote is that there ar…

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…

Micromanagers usually come in two shapes; the first is a recently promoted technical worker with a deep understanding of the work but with poor interpersonal skills and a deep drive for perfectionism who can't bear to let go of the fact they're no longer doing the work themselves anymore, they cling to their methods depriving their workers of agency and limiting their ability to produce. The second is an externally hired career manager who has no understanding of the actual work and compensates…