The promise of promotion is a proverbial carrot on a stick that often gets dangled over workers' heads, encouraging them to do more and work harder for longer hours, taking on additional responsibilities, under the guise that this “growth” will soon earn them a promotion that pays them properly for the work they have been doing. Of course, while this holds merit when honest intentions are had, all too often this is exploited to get workers to do things they're not being paid to do… This employe…

You never know what you've got until it's gone… An old philosophical adage that rings true throughout all areas of our lives, speaking to the fact that we don't really appreciate something's worth until we no longer have it, whether that be a time in our lives, an object, or even an individual. It's easy to take things for granted when they're right in front of you, and it's easy to think that how things are now is how they will be forever, evoking a resigned, almost begrudging feeling towards…

There's this interesting thing that happens with KPIs, targets, and business focus. Sure, putting impetus into these areas will usually result in increasing them, creating the image of a larger, healthier, more profitable business. But what is the cost? More, importantly, where is the cost? You're not looking for it, you're not tracking it, and you won't know what it is and probably won't even know where it was or how to measure it until it's too late. This happens all the time in businesses wh…

Every office has a technologically incompetent coworker. The truth of the matter is that some people simply should not be allowed to have phones or computers, and sometimes, I will include myself in this category. The number of times in which I have accidentally texted the wrong person is proof alone that I am not the most careful when it comes to technology. This is also proof that it is not always the oldest coworker in the office who is the technologically challenged one. In fact, I have had…

Even if the business has needs for weekend coverage or is experiencing an emergency period of high load and you did need your workers to work an additional day… it would be best to—no, anyone in their right mind would—approach the subject delicately, respectfully, and tactfully. Coming out and declaring to your workers that they should “Kiss their weekend hiking trips goodbye” or anything of that nature would be downright inadvisable… Especially when it's intended to be a pointed comment person…

Sure, it takes a detail-oriented person to manage a restaurant, but some supervisors are not cut out for it simply because they are too intense. These micromanagers tend to be unable to pivot if unforeseen circumstances arise. They also tend to be extremely frustrated when employees make judgment calls and handle their tasks differently. In other words, micromanagers rarely make genuinely good bosses. Instead, the only thing they are successful at is making enemies out of the people who work fo…

The world of business isn't always fair. People would do whatever it took to succeed and build a name for themselves in the industry. That being stated, how would you react if your employers, who were strapped for cash, decided to offer you a fake promotion along with a pay cut? The story below is an account of a frustrated employee. The original poster (OP) had been employed by the same company for over a year. A few weeks ago, OP's managers approached him and said they would like to give him…

They say the best revenge in life is success… That teacher who said you'd never make it? That bully in high school? Anyone who doubted you or tried to keep you down. Well, the best thing you can do is go on to prove that you're not as weak or insignificant as they're telling you you are. Of course, although not as often discussed, going on to leave a peaceable existence of mediocrity is also an acceptable option if that's what you prefer, though decidedly less exciting of a story. This employee…

In jobs and industries that operate off of shift work “The Schedule” is hailed by management as an ancient relic of extreme importance

Starting a small business is a scary thing, putting it all on the line to try and create a successful business, which will see you solely reaping possibly unlimited benefits—if you can make it that far. But, hey, you take on all of the risks, you get all of the rewards; that's fundamentally how we've decided things should work in this world… and when it works well for someone, you're not going to see them complaining. However, taking on the risk means taking on the risk. Which is something a lo…

Working remotely has its advantages and disadvantages… While you no longer have to use your own time and money to commute into an office, which is probably open plan (which you loathe,) crammed directly adjacent to your other disgruntled coworkers (whom you abhor,) all that in order to have your time and productivity wasted by meaningless small talk and because you need to “look" busy even though that actually means you're being less productive. On the flip side, while remote working would cert…

If micromanaging bosses would rather do all of the work themselves, perhaps everyone would be happier if they just did. That way, no one would be looking over anyone else's shoulders. No one would feel like they're being watched at all times of the day. Furthermore, no one would feel like their process of getting things done was not respected. Here, we have a micromanaging boss who kept listening in on their employees' calls with customers and correcting them in the middle of the class. Not onl…

There's a pretty simple rule of management that leaders should follow: Don't mess with something that's working. Whether that's a single high-performing worker, an efficient team, or just a general flow of business, messing with something for the sake of it is always going to end poorly. It's a similar premise to “let sleeping dogs lie” but in this case, it's more of "leave

Don't you just love it when your boss is on thin ice and decides to take it out on the entire team? You know, as if it's their fault that she's an incompetent manager? That seems to be a frequent occurrence in the workplace. It's certainly nothing new that people in high-pressure situations act out unfairly, but it can be difficult to stomach when the person acting out is also the one who signs your paychecks. Let's start with one obvious truth that always needs to be restated: your boss's tant…

There will be those who want you to fail and those who want you to succeed. However, regardless of who is around you, you should constantly strive to be the best version of yourself. The story below tells the tale of a resentful construction worker. Despite all the challenges, the Original Poster (OP) started his own construction company. To put things in perspective, during his undergraduate years, OP looked for a part-time job that could help him balance his academics and become somewhat fina…

All throughout the 2000s and 2010s, we used to eat up “goodwill” stories about people banding together to help their fellow—coworkers by donating PTO to a sick team member and crowdfunding to help cover the cost and medical debt of sick community members. All this really begs questioning, questions that are finally being asked more frequently in discourse online. Where these types of stories are no longer viewed purely as “wholesome” or “heartwarming” but rather as a sign of the dystopian, soci…