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Horrible Bosses

'CEO [told] me to help them with my old accounts or he'll sue me': CEO ignores former employee's warnings about outdated system, leads to decade-spanning malicious compliance

'CEO [told] me to help them with my old accounts or he'll sue me': CEO ignores former employee's warnings about outdated system, leads to decade-spanning malicious compliance

Some employers refuse to hear the truth, and if you're lucky, they will have to experience the consequences of ignoring your constant warnings. We all know what it's like to be a disregarded employee. Sure, most bosses say that constructive feedback is welcome no matter what your position in the company is, but in reality, you are likely to be ignored if you are at the bottom of the food chain. When this happens repeatedly, it soon becomes exponentially clear that the problems you are noticing…
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'Think about whether you want to keep working here': Employee makes small mistake, boss loses it, give ultimatum, employee maliciously complies

'Think about whether you want to keep working here': Temperamental boss loses it and gives ultimatum, employee maliciously complies

It's not that employees should be careful around bosses with tempers; it should be that bosses with tempers should be careful around their employees. Those who throw tantrums and who have a habit of unfairly threatening employees should not only be fearful that they themselves might get in trouble for their tirades, but also they just might lose those employees forever and not of their own volition. I once had a friend who willingly took a job with a temperamental boss who had a known reputatio…
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'I thought we were on good terms': Job candidate asks former boss for reference, she sabotages candidate's chances with the recruiter

'I thought we were on good terms': Job candidate asks former boss for reference, she sabotages candidate's chances with the recruiter

They say to never trust your employer, but we always need a former employer for references so do we have much of a choice in the matter? The truth is that we do not. Even after you leave a company, you're still beholden to your former employer in some way. If you have minimal work experience, you might not have another employer to use as a reference. It's the cyclical nature of the working world. Even when you leave one place, you're never really free now, are you? Sure, it's possible to frame…
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'[She says] it's my fault': Boss blames worker when shady business practices earn her an investigation from the IRS

An important lesson you learn early on in this world is to own your own mistakes, and whether or not someone makes mistakes is a good indicator of that person's character. As is often the case, there are plenty of people who never managed to learn this simple concept, with these people finding themselves in positions of authority all too often. It's not surprising then that there are a lot of toxic bosses out there who consistently find someone else to blame and someone else to shame for their…
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'Imagine [making] an award to give to yourself every year?': CEO pays for his own annual award ceremony, demands standing ovation

'Imagine [making] an award to give to yourself every year?': CEO pays for his own annual award ceremony, demands standing ovation

Narcissists will always find a way to make everything about themselves, especially when the narcissist in question is your boss. We have all had the experience of working for someone who is just a bit too into themselves. I remember being warned about specific rules of formality around my first boss back when I was stuck in an unpaid internship in my late teen years. All this kind of behavior did for me was it taught me exactly what kind of work environment to avoid. However, sometimes it's com…
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'Every single year': Company annually awards award named after CEO to that CEO

Usually, when you name an award after someone, it's done to memorialize their significant contribution to the thing it's being awarded for, and never would you ever expect the person being memorialized to be eligible—lest receive—their own award. Can you imagine if every year the Nobel Prize just awarded every award posthumously to Alfred Nobel? I think the entire process would have a completely different perception.
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'So I was fired [...] Over this': Employee fired for refusing to break a customer's large bill four months ago, causes split reactions

'So I was fired [...] Over this': Employee fired for refusing to break a customer's large bill four months ago, causes split reactions

When you get fired, usually you have an idea of what went wrong… even if it wasn't necessarily your fault. But here, we have an instance in which an employee was told they violated so many rules and genuinely had no clue what was meant by that. After some investigating, they discovered that a manager had it out for them ever since the employee refused to break a customer's large bill four months ago. Talk about a particularly specific vendetta to hold against someone! While I personally have ne…
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'A $50 gift card that was deducted from my paycheck': 15+ Workers share the worst holiday gifts they ever received from an employer

Ahh… the holiday season, a time of year best spent with family and loved ones over incredible meals and through the sharing of thoughtful gifts. With images of bright, cheery, rosy-cheeked faces, Christmas lights, and decorations—maybe a little snow and mistletoe—it's a joyful time intended to bring out the human spirit, gratitude, and goodwill. Well, it should be no surprise to any of us that these optimistic ideas don’t meld well with workplaces. Stark grey walls with hard, cheap furniture. G…
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'I don't need to buy [my coworkers] gifts': Employee refuses to participate in Office Secret Santa, gets into conflict with HR

'I don't need to buy [my coworkers] gifts': Employee refuses to participate in Office Secret Santa, gets into conflict with HR

Now that it's the Holiday season, we are unfortunately subjected to that time of year when we have to get gifts for more people than we'd like. The idea of having to participate in an annual Office Secret Santa on top of all that other shopping is truly too far. Thankfully, I have never been asked to participate in one, and honestly, thank goodness. I'm not quite sure what I've done in my life to deserve that luxury, but I'll take it. Knowing myself, if I were pressured to be a part of an Offic…
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'You wouldn’t be working exactly, just helping': Boss invites employee to exclusive Christmas party, only to pressure her to work the event

'You wouldn’t be working exactly, just helping': Boss invites employee to exclusive Christmas party, only to pressure her to work the event

Has anyone else been fooled by their boss into thinking they were being singled out for something special when in reality, they were just being taken for granted? It's a common occurrence in the workplace, especially during busy times of the year like the Holiday season when people tend to be the most selfish under the guise of graciousness. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, many employees have already begun to plan for their office Holiday parties. Few of you are excited, many of you ar…
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'They lied about which shifts I'd have': 30+ People share why they quit a job on the first day

First impressions are important when establishing a working relationship, so important that people tend to read way too far into things during the first interview. It's not unheard of for interviewers to take one single harmless thing you said and extrapolate it into some wildly imaginative reason why you're a risk to hire. Tell the wrong interviewer you like baseball, and maybe they'll decide you're not fit for their team since baseball reminds them of their resentful father who tried to force…
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'I got blamed': Boss accuses worker of sabotaging the company, worker quits

The burnout from being overworked and from constant exposure to a toxic workplace environment can really creep up on you. One day, you'll think that you're doing fine, under a lot of pressure and stress, but managing it just fine. The next, your composure shatters, and everything you've been enduring hits you like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, you feel the weight of it all. No energy and sinking, you're now struggling to keep your head above the water level of all the tasks you have to complete.
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'The price is about $2000': Employer tells Vet they can't claim their employee discount right after expensive pet surgery

We talk a lot about mutual respect in the workplace, and this doesn't only apply to coworkers; it also applies to managers/owners and their employees. If a worker shows you respect by giving you greater notice than necessary that they will be leaving due to outside circumstances, you will do well to repay that respect by not retaliating. You might get away with it in this instance, but rest assured, after seeing how you treated their teammate, your other employees will never give you notice aga…
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'I've already secured another job': Employee promised promotion to keep them working overtime, boss then denies promotion with a 'scathing' review

While the “Carrot of Promotion” sounds like a great name for a Dungeons and Dragons item, it's not so great when it has been dangled in front of you to encourage you to do more work while working more hours and taking on more responsibility all under the promise that you might one day be compensated for it. Of course, often, employers fail to follow through on this promise and lead employees on for as long as possible before gaslighting them and pretending that this was never in the cards.
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'You make $200 and hour?': Arrogant boss brags about making more than IT Guy, he quits and charges that as contract rate

While this story may not be as spicy as some of the other stories we've seen come out of this particular subreddit, without a doubt, it's a good bit of revenge against an arrogant employer that doesn't reek of an “and everybody clapped” sort of ending.
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'We're coworkers, not friends': Introverted coworker gets their wish after ungraciously declining invitation

Introverts aren't really known for being socially forthcoming. In fact, that's kind of the entire point. Rather than attending parties, drinks, and after-work hangouts, they'd prefer the relative silence and peace of their own company, often preferring only to engage with others over shared interests, activities, and hobbies. Let's be honest: for most introverts, engaging in the required social interactions at work is more than enough, and many won't feel a particular need or even the ability t…
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