No one goes to a fast food restaurant for nutrition per se, but we should expect the bare minimum with regard to sanitation. Now, we're not here to tell you that fast food is bad for you. First of all, that's a given. Second of all, how are we going to stop you for those restless late nights when the only thing that can give you some semblance of joy is a large Oreo milkshake and an order of chicken nuggets? Still, if you find yourself walking into a fast food establishment on one of those desp…

There's a reason why businesses only offer services once an ironclad contract has been signed and reviewed. It's because they know “good” business is conducted on what you can legally get away with—maximizing your own cash flow by separating someone else from theirs—and that it's not conducted on verbal agreements, vague promises, goodwill, or moral quandary. Yet, they expect their workers to accept doing more work, working more hours with the vague expectation that it might one day lead to a r…

Anyone who thinks being a good employee means always checking your email when you're on paternity leave has to check their priorities. Sure, bosses tend to put a ton of unnecessary pressure on their employees, as if to say that checking their emails is more important than tending to their newborn child. In fact, this is almost the most obvious example of employers prioritizing work over life and livelihood. It really doesn't get more obvious than that. However, these are the moments in one's ca…

At this point in the story of the history of the office worker, it should be common knowledge that being a productive worker doesn't mean being tied to a desk for 8 hours a day between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM. In the yesteryear of the evaluation of working performance, previous generations would have sat stoically at their desks and, whether or not they were actually doing anything of merit to contribute to the company, their ability to have their behind in that seat for eight hours a day wo…

Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to never let your managers think you'll take on responsibilities outside of your job description with little to no reward. This kind of behavior often starts in small, subtle ways. Perhaps your supervisor asks you to fetch them a coffee despite not being their executive assistant, or perhaps they ask you to stay after work for a short period of time for a delivery. The key is that when this happens, you draw a line in the sand from the very beginning.…

Most entry-level and low-paying jobs have the uncanny ability to be consistently and overly pedantic about employee appearance. Especially when you're not even customer-facing, it's hard to believe that it's not more about their control over you than the actual appearance.

Some have been calling this a “bait and switch” and while it is arguable that something along those lines is happening, there seems to be more of an erosion of expectations happening. It stands to reason that

No one ever said that new office policies wouldn't be met with a little pushback, especially when it comes to in-person work. We all know that return-to-work policies should be delicately handled in a way that, at the very least, feels like a suitable compromise between the employer and the employee. Unfortunately, that compromise rarely happens; instead, we as employees often are expected to take these new strict policies in stride. Thankfully, every so often, someone finds an opportunity to t…

Rules that aren't enforced or followed might as well not exist at all, especially when the rules aren't enacted fairly for all parties—and change at a moment's notice to favor the one making them. As they say, all's fair in love and war… and—if you're not willing to play by the rules—don't expect anyone else to either.

When this restaurant worker was running late for their shift, their manager reached out to ask if they were coming in, probably not realizing that the simmering heat of anger that had been bubbling below the surface was about to boil over. After a series of unmet promises, unrealistic expectations, and even being cheated out of pay, this restaurant worker was more than happy to call it quits. The reason they were late to their shift in the first place was that they had actually been interviewin…

Surely most, if not all of us, have fantasized at one point or another about quitting our jobs on the spot, getting up and just walking out, either silently slipping out an exit door never to be seen again or adding a little fanfare to the occasion and going out with a touch of bravado by telling your boss and coworkers what you really think of them. Yet, for most of us, these fantasies will remain exactly that. When it comes to employment, there's too much at stake, and when you burn bridges,…

When you go out of your way to attend an interview, no one really owes you anything, but you might expect that you'd be treated with a little common decency—and that a little thing called decorum would be followed. Sure, there's nothing in writing, and no commitments have been made, but by going out of your way—and out of pocket—to put a vote of confidence in them and their process, you'd hope that you might actually get to sit down in a room with them… Not receiving a cancellation via text and…

Certain things in life bring with them a certain finality… Like getting fired, signing up for a mortgage, or having kids. But it's important to note that they also bring with them opportunity... Opportunity for new pathways and new experiences—even if those experiences are more mundane than the ones that came before. The reality is that when one door closes, another one opens, and you'll likely find that you end up in the right place eventually, even if you really wish that that initial door ha…

It's pretty safe to say that forcing our the only worker in your company who knows the contacts and data for all of your suppliers would be—well… logistically, a bad idea. It would be common sense to, at the very least, tactfully make sure that you understand the ins and outs and inner workings of their role before you decide to bully them out of the company. But, if you're the sort of manager or employer who is willing to use this strategy as a management tactic, it's probably safe to say that…

"Comfort equals laziness" is an attitude that is pervasive throughout certain industries, with the idea that a comfortable employee is an unproductive one and that relative comfort is somehow offputting, prompting employers in these industries to treat their workers with cynicism and hostility.

At one point in everyone's professional career, you come across a manager who says something so ridiculous you have to question how it's possible that they are in charge of you. It could be a moment of sheer ignorance or a tone-deaf comment. Sometimes, it's troubleshooting technology, which is occasionally understandable. However, sometimes, it's as simple as “Where do I find the Spam folder?” and you really have to question how these people have functioned successfully over the last several de…