We're not totally sure when open-plan offices became a thing, who first thought they were a good idea, or why they thought they were a good idea in the first place, but it's really hard to believe that the 90s pop-culture icon that was the workplace cubicle—once hated as a symbol of the worker's dehumanization as and entrapment—is now something that workers globally yearn for and miss every day… What we would give for even a cubicle (or any sort of space) at the office that we could call our ow…

A joke?.. In this economy?! Regardless, you know it's a good joke when it's so good that HR wants to hear it. It's no secret that employers can be a little sensitive to derogatory statements about the quality of the work environment that they're providing for their workers—even if those statements are completely irrefutably accurate. This usually involves remuneration but also extends to other aspects of the workplace culture and environment. Basically, the method of operation in these workplac…

It turns out they were essential to the business after all… Traditionally, layoffs were considered to be a point of shame in business, only used as a last resort as it was a sure sign that your business was failing—usually as a direct result of failures in leadership's decision-making and mismanagement. Really, this—along with the hit that was sure to follow the stock pricing of publically traded companies—was all that kept companies from considering using layoffs as a cost-saving measure. Nowa…

Why does it feel like this is giving Squid Game ? This boss decided that it was a good idea to have his employees fight over a piñata filled with money at the office Christmas party year after year. You would think given recent cultural conversations about toxic work environments that perhaps this dude would rethink this annual practice, but nope! This year, he decided to do it yet again. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit by u/schotte420 , whose girlfriend worked at this m…

Anyone who has worked a day in their life has dreamed of quitting their job. Show me someone who says otherwise, and I'll show you a liar… We've all endured experiences in the workplace that have made us fantasize about removing ourselves from the situation once and for all. Whether it was in your first job in high school with that condescending manager or the current toxic workplace environment you now find yourself in—chances are pretty good that you've had a day in your life where you've dre…

We will always be affected by favoritism. Parents make an effort to convince us that there is no such thing as favoritism and that people evaluate us based on our qualifications or lack thereof. As someone who has worked at over a dozen jobs, attended roughly six different schools during her life, and is one of twenty grandkids, I can vouch for the fact that favorites exist. The story below is of a strong single mother who is having a hard time providing for her kid. OP is a hard-working waitre…

Being a target of workplace bullying or harassment is almost always a no-win situation, particularly in a small organization. If the offending party is a long-time member of the organization or otherwise well-connected to the organization's decision-makers, reporting them for their behavior isn't going to do much of anything; in fact, it may cause them to turn on you instead in order to relieve themselves of “the problem.” Large corporations will have no tolerance for this type of behavior and…

One thing's for sure: there's no greater relief than quitting a bad job, especially when you already have another one lined up and ready to go. Everyone, at one point or another, has dreamed of doing this—preferably in explosive fashion. One day, walking and just letting your honest feelings fly before walking out —never to be seen again—while everyone is still sitting there stunned and processing what has just occurred.

A company's success is dependent on its workers, so you'd think it would be incredibly foolish for an employer to lay off every single member of their staff in some bizarre power play, expecting everyone to turn around and reapply for their roles, grateful for the chance to grovel and endure the unnecessary stress and emotional turmoil of having their livelihood threatened just so their employer could feel sufficiently powerful.

Vice presidents are hard pills to swallow. They assume that the sun rises and sets at their demand. However, sometimes you find a rose in a thornbush... such as this legend of a manager who wouldn't let his team be bossed around by the VP's silly demands. I feel obligated to share this inspirational story of an IT manager who bravely resisted the awful vice president's effort to pilfer the Fourth of July. The VP is determined that her time is more important than the IT team's combined total. Bu…

What do you do when your company, nay—industry—regards employment not as an ongoing arrangement but as a mere rental of skilled labor? Sending you packing as soon as your position has served its most immediate purpose. In truth, it seems short-sighted since, when it comes to programming and development, there will always be a need for ongoing troubleshooting, updates, and improvements—who better to do that than the person who wrote the original program?

There is nothing like a new manager coming in and messing up the structure and workflow that was functioning so well for literally everyone else. It's a classic conundrum that can manifest itself across all industries. That being said, it becomes particularly infuriating when these sudden changes affect you personally. This airline service provider submitted a PTO request for the Holiday season way back in October. The request was approved and all was well. But the new manager, who apparently w…

There are so many potential red flags when it comes to work trips. Let's start with expenses. If it's not all-expense paid, there better be a good reason. That doesn't mean the flight and hotels. I'm talking breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, and snacks. That's right, we workers are not playing around anymore. Then there's the issue of the quality of the hotel. Do not settle for your boss getting some janky old room at the nearest motel. The situation needs to be just as convenient and nice for…

Which bonus would you rather have: a subscription for a monthly jelly delivery, or a pair of socks? There's not a correct answer to that question, but those are two real things that some workers got as holiday bonuses . I never knew that a subscription to a jelly of the month club was such a popular gift. Numerous people cited that as a present their workplace gave them in this post from r/askreddit. That's a cool gift, I suppose, it's good to broaden your horizons and try new things. But you k…

Imagine your boss not paying you and then giving you a lecture about your inability to handle finances well! It takes a special kind of cognitive dissonance and tunnel vision to have that level of audacity. It's the kind of narcissistic “main character syndrome” behavior we have seen in a lot of anecdotes about horrible bosses here at FAIL Blog. What's especially amusing here, however, is that when this boss was backed into a corner about being late on payroll, instead of owning up to her mista…

I've written about this same premise quite a few times in the annals of Fail Blog, but any time your boss is accusing you of doing something despite there being no evidence—and especially when the evidence shows quite the opposite—it's more than likely that they're just projecting their own personality flaws, predispositions, and hidden thoughts. Basically, they're just admitting that if they were in your position, they would be doing the same thing they're accusing you of.