Contracting is a tough gig, yet it is becoming increasingly common as companies seek to shift further towards a low-cost, low-obligation workforce. The thing is, as a contractor, you have fewer benefits and less guarantee of income, but while that uncertainty can be hard to manage, it makes up for that in flexibility. See, when you're a contractor, your “employer” (clients) really can't make you do anything outside of the contracted production they're paying you for. They can't set when or how…

Large companies function like machines. The managers and employees are in charge of keeping the machine operating as efficiently and profitably as possible. But occasionally, people become so engrossed in their work that they lose sight of what needs to get done right now and what can wait. In the story below, a devoted IT worker has had enough of his supervisors' ridiculous expectations. Since the Original Poster (OP) has been employed by the same company for quite some time, he is familiar wi…

Getting denied a raise stinks, but at least you've left your thoughts and intentions on the table for consideration, hopefully setting yourself up for a pay bump in the near future when the next round of budgeting is finalized. Of course, this isn't always the case, and your employer may go the route of stonewalling you indefinitely—or gaslighting you by dangling the potential of a raise in front of you like a carrot on a stick in order to get you to do more work. Still, in most cases, it's alm…

Trying to keep up with an increasing workload on an understaffed team is a lot like trying to drive a car that only has three wheels. It's difficult to keep things moving forward without veering off course; things operate extremely inefficiently, and there's probably a lot of noise and scraping going on. Of course, managing these situations is no easy task—not impossible for a talented manager, but only through a great deal of effort. For this reason, managers who manage to protect their alread…

There are brutal individuals in the corporate world. They would stop at nothing to make sure they succeed, and they are willing to pay whatever price to do so—even if it means compromising their morals, closest friends, and most reliable colleagues. Having stated that how would you respond if the latest hire sought to seize control by instilling fear? Regardless of how absurd her demands were, would you submit to them in silence or would you resist and hold your ground? The story that follows,…

Discovering your manager's failed attempt at disciplining you has got to be satisfying. Not only was this employee already over it and clearly prepared to find another job, but he also found his manager's write-up about him because it was left in the company printer. Let's just say that this so-called write-up was about as unintentionally comical as it could get. First of all, it was full of typos. Second of all, it was full of malapropisms. For instance, when the manager wrote, “I called HR to…

Agency is important in the workplace; people typically need to feel as if they have responsibility over a task in order to derive satisfaction from doing it. This is one of the most basic facts that someone managing a team should be aware of. Sure, it's important that you know what's going on with your team, but that doesn't extend to the level of having comprehensive direct access to every last bit of their personal workplace communications. The point is that you have a certain level of trust…

It should not be revelatory that the number of hours one spends at the office is completely separate from the amount of work one completes. Productivity and efficiency are relative to the individual worker, and there is something to be said for leaving employees alone when it comes to how they get their work done, provided that no other team members are negatively impacted by their process. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit by u/Fun-Pin9061 , whose boss insisted…

Working at a company with a newly established HR department can lead to the establishment of many a shady policy. We're talking about people who don't really understand what it is to be professional and well-managed steering the ship. If you work at a company like this, you certainly cannot expect a smooth sailing experience. Rest assured, there will be bumps along the way. Here, we have an employee who took five days off at the end of last year at the request of their boss after the loss of th…

Be careful what you wish for, boss! It's common for bosses to have strange rules and regulations; nine times out of ten, they are tied to a bizarre superiority/inferiority complex. However, we often find that bosses misinterpret perfectly normal behavior as disrespectful, and that's when this becomes an issue. It's rarely insubordination; in fact, most of the time, employees are so laser-focused on their tasks and responsibilities that they do not have their boss's emotions at the top of their…

It's difficult to picture your life any different than it is in this exact moment… and that's not talking simple wishful-thinking. It's easy to say “I wish things were better” or “I'm grateful and lucky for what I have” or “I'm glad things aren't worse." But that's not the same as being able to actually see yourself—

You know it's doomed when the well-being of a company is solely reliant on the work of three people. Several ways things can go wrong come to mind, the first of which obviously is the question of what will happen when one or more of the employees leaves. If the owner is smart, they will do everything in their power to keep these three employees happy and fulfilled. If the owner is smart, they will create a contingency plan that starts with expanding the team before anything goes south. If the o…

In every industry, you are bound to find annoying people. However, some occupations are way worse at attracting bad apples than others. These folks shared what they believe to be the worst jobs for the worst kinds of people via this r/AskReddit thread, and we have a lot of questions. First, why did so many people mention nurses? This has me worried the next time I go to a hospital. On the other hand, car salesmen and real estate agents did not shock me in the slightest. Raise your hand if you'v…

Coworkers can be a lot of things: a compatriot, a confidant, a thorn in your side, a shoulder to cry on, a best friend—even a worst enemy. One thing they certainly aren't ever going to be is your boss—not without a promotion at least. And, still, throughout your working career, you'll come up against many a power-hungry colleague who thinks that they have the authority and experience to order you around. Letting you know what's what and making demands of you…. but, as bossy as this person might…

Relocating for work is a tough choice to make. On the one hand, the opportunities on offer could open doors and lead to opportunities that would set you up for the rest of your life. On the other hand, you'd be leaving your life, as you know it, behind. There's no telling whether or not what you're giving up will actually be worth it or how things will even turn out on the other side. All this counts on the fact that you like your current job that's being relocated and that you trust the people…

Employers who throw random unnecessary temper tantrums are essentially asking to make enemies. It should not have been a surprise to this toxic boss that someone was going to witness his public outburst at a young intern and do something about it. Thankfully, there were enough employees at the company who were already over this guy that retaliation against him snowballed at an abnormally fast pace. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/AmITheA**hole subreddit by the former employee who started t…